Spence Cuts Review Short

Brinkley's case never made it to the ad hoccommittee. Brinkley won his department'sendorsement, but unlike Watson, he copped only 13of 24 votes cast, one faculty member said. Afterseveral of the History Department's most prominentAmericanists dissented in letters andconversations with Spence, the dean haltedBrinkley's review, faculty members said.

Senior department members who said theysupported Brinkley's bid called him a leadingrepresentative of a cadre of American historianswho focus on specific topics and periods.

They said that their older colleagues'opposition to Brinkley suggests that when actuallyconfronted with a decision, the department willresort to its established practices and ignore thedean's intentions.

"The problem of implementing something likethis policy is similar [to the problem ofimplementing] affirmative action," said DuboisProfessor of History Nathan I. Huggins.

"The dean says something, and the departmentsnod their heads; and then the real decisions comethe same as always," he said.

Department members said Adams UniversityProfessor Bernard Bailyn, Loeb UniversityProfessor Emeritus Oscar Handlin and TrumbullProfessor of American History Donald Flemingobjected to promoting Brinkley. The three areproponents of what Huggins called "the Harvardstyle of American history," an approach that seesthe field as sprawling and eschews specialization.

Said Aga Khan Professor of Iranian Richard N.Frye: "Fleming and Handlin found [Brinkley's] worktoo journalistic."

Fleming refused to comment on the Brinkleydecision, but said tenure decision should not beinfluenced by current trends.

"I don't think the standards have changed. Idon't think they should change. I don't think theywill change," Fleming said. "The standards arewhat they were in the past."

Asked if that stand was realistic in light ofthe dean's concerns about Harvard's ability tolure scholars, Fleming said, "There have neverbeen that many people who could do this type ofwork in the past either."

Others took a different view.

"The old standards which were not only qualitybut quantity are going to be difficult tomaintain," said Winthrop Professor of AmericanHistory Stephan A. Thernstrom.

"It's time to take more chances," saidThernstrom, who, at 51, is Harvard's youngesttenured professor in American history.

Scholars agreed that Spence's decision to haltBrinkley's multi-staged tenure review indicatesthe tenure system discourages such chances.