Harvard Solicits Advice on the Selection of Its Next President

As JBHE has noted on many occasions, the selection of the next president of Harvard University is important to African Americans. Harvard’s next president will be looked to for leadership on such issues as affirmative action in admissions, race-based scholarship programs, and whether black studies should remain an important area in the curriculum of our nation’s great educational institutions.

The search committee to find a replacement for Lawrence Summers has just begun its work. In an initial effort, the committee sent out 20,000 e-mail messages to students, faculty, and staff members of the university seeking advice on whom to select. In addition, 200,000 alumni of the institution will be asked for their views as to who should be the next president of Harvard.

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