Conant's Curator

Louis Lyons and Dwight Sargent need no defense from me, since what they have accomplished (and the record of past Niemans in and out of Journalism) speaks for itself. Suffice it to note that President Conant, whose hopes for the Nieman program were so often invoked by Ardery, was sufficiently well pleased by the program developed under Lyons to keep him in the curator's post. And also to note that President Pusey, and journalists in general, have felt the same way about Lyons and now about Sargent.

It is not true that the business of putting children into school (which mothers usually handle), or moving up here, take "precedence over investigating thoroughly Harvard's academic opportunities." The latter both take place well before Harvard's school year begins. As Ardery presumably knows, the selection of courses does not take shape until they have been sampled during the first few weeks of the term.

"Harvard intimidates the nonacademic and Cambridge the non-Easterner," says Ardery. A non-Easterner (and perhaps non-academic), he must speak for himself on this. I can only say that none of my fellow Niemans have shown any signs of intimidation during the past five months. As for our alleged "fraternal complacency," it is conjured up as the program's mood under Lyons, then as neatly evaporated under Sargent. Ardery's assertions in neither case automatically give the moods life. No evidence is advanced to suggest either In fact, they did not and do not exist.

Ardery suggests one or two good points, for which he deserves credit for their advancement if not their originality. Help with housing would be appreciated, as would more money for the married Fellows (although the bachelors might well raise the question of fairness). But Dwight Sargent most strongly does encourage "imaginative and original study plans," conducting the first group meeting of the year in such a way that the Fellows are exposed to a dozen different suggestions on how to use the year. The underlying assumption is that the Nieman Fellows are adult enough to select those courses and programs which would best enrich or help them. We do not need or want overt guidance, because this would be the surest prescription for stifling diversity.

There are aspects of the Nieman program which could be profitably altered, as with any program. Ardery's article, however, misread completely where the program stands today and what it has meant in the past.  Hodding Carter III  Nieman Fello