Harvard University, the university's highest board of governors, will review its presidential search process and consider recommendations on how it can be improved ahead of the formal search for Harvard's 31st president.
Senior Fellow Penny S. Pritzker ’81 told faculty at Tuesday’s town hall that the agency has convened a subcommittee tasked with evaluating the presidential search process, according to three people in attendance. The people spoke on condition of anonymity because they were asked to protect the confidentiality of City Hall proceedings.
University spokesman Jonathan L. Swain confirmed the formation of the subgroup, but declined to comment on its composition or anticipated schedule.
The review follows widespread criticism of the Corporation's handling of the search for a 30th president after former Harvard University President Claudine Gay resigned under pressure from the Corporation after just one semester in office. It is.
Faculty members also criticize the presidential selection process as overly exclusive and secretive, calling for greater transparency and consultation in the selection process.
The review of how Harvard University selects its president comes after respondents to The Crimson's annual College of Humanities Survey said they had lost confidence in the university's governing board.
More than 49% of respondents said they were not confident that the corporation would be able to select a principal who would stabilize the school after a difficult winter.
Furthermore, 79.8% of respondents want greater transparency in the Corporation, and 76.5% of respondents believe that teachers are not sufficiently consulted during the presidential search.
The search process also faced severe criticism after Gay was accused of plagiarism in December and subsequently submitted seven amendments throughout her papers and academic works to add citations.
At the time, both officials and outside observers expressed concerns, saying the university should have more thoroughly considered the candidates' scholarships. The Crimson reported in February that the company did not conduct an academic review of gay research during the search.
The four months since Gay's resignation have been the longest delay in the start of a presidential election in decades, but an ongoing subcommittee review has led to Harvard University's interim president. It has been indicated that he is content to keep Alan M. Garber '76 in his post for an extended period of time. .
Pritzker acknowledged much the same at Tuesday's town hall. She praised Garber glowingly and said the board has full confidence in the university's interim leader, according to her attendees.
Mr. Pritzker's strong support for Mr. Gerber raises the possibility that the Board of Regents will abandon the search for president altogether and make him the university's 31st permanent president.
Normally, Harvard University's presidential search is conducted by a search committee made up of all 12 Harvard University Fellows and three members of the Harvard University Board of Overseers, the university's second-highest governing body.
Past search committees have consulted with small advisory groups of students, faculty, and staff. In previous surveys, affiliates were asked to nominate potential candidates through a form.
However, historically there has been no mechanism for the entire faculty to provide more detailed information during the selection process, a long-standing point of frustration.
Other than the advisory council, the activities of the research committee are usually conducted in secret, from the announcement of the committee to the appointment of a new chairman.
—Staff writer Tilly R. Robinson can be reached at tilly.robinson@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @Tilly Robin.
—Staff writer Neil H. Shah can be reached at neil.shah@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @neilhshah15.
