Although the current Harvard History Department may lack a sense of common vision and an interest in cutting edge scholarship, many professors say they hope the faculty, with so many new appointments in the pipeline, is now in a position to turn itself around.

"We're trying to build ourselves in quantitative terms," Maier says. "We're renewing the department at the moment and we have the chance to make some important decisions."

In particular, scholars and students point to gaps in British history, Italian Renaissance history, medieval history, German history, women's history and American cultural history.

But even within these general field areas, there is much room for disagreement over methodological strategies, and faculty members say these disputes may continue to hamper the appointment process.

"The Harvard department is acting under par," Hufton says. "It doesn't have the people and the procedures for renewal are very slow."

Searching for Consensus

In the end, scholars say that even if there is no Harvard School of History, per se, the department's ability to make appointments is tied to its development of a rough scholarly consensus.

And that consensus is not so much obvious in each historian's individual political or methodological leanings, but in how the department as a whole interprets the University's mandate to tenure only the most established and respected of scholars.

"How [a scholar] approaches history isn't all that important, except as it relates to our notion of good history," says Pipes, Baird professor of history.

Indeed, Hufton adds that before anyone is offered a senior position in the department, "there must be a virtual consensus."

And it is the departtention on the issue of minority hiring.

"Reverend Jackson's visit put this on a national scale and said to Harvard that the nation is watching," said CCR activist John Bonifaz, a first-year law student.

Bell agreed, saying in an interview that "Jackson's high profile image provides a sort of renewed focus of attention on this whole issue of diversity."

Only such "public attention to this problem," Bell said, would force "reform and change."

Professor of Law Duncan M. Kennedy praised his colleague's actions saying they will "increase the faculty's sense of urgency."