Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles is itching to hire, and he hasn’t been shy about saying so. Our student to faculty ratio hovers at 8:1 (compared to 6:1 at supposedly undergrad-friendly Princeton). Any major new curricular shift, like Knowles’ attempt to create a sweeping new freshman seminar program that would include all first-years, would require more professors than we’ve now got.

So if everyone thinks this is a good idea, why isn’t it happening? It’s not easy to convince junior professors they should move to Harvard with their families, when they know they’ll likely be moving again in just a few years when they are denied tenure. And it’s awfully hard to increase the ranks of senior professors, if you’re committed to only tenuring the one best person in the world in every field.

•The Summers Difference

Harvard presidents have the power to determine the attitude of this place. Students can always hope that each new president will be the one to decide they deserve spots on major decision-making committees of the University. I have some hope that Summers might be the one to open the University up to those it serves.

Summers has worked in government, and he is used to being watched. He understands constituencies and the need to keep them happy. It’s no surprise that he has already popped up at Springfest and in dining halls. (He also understands the need to keep the media happy; he’s already come by The Crimson’s offices once more than his predecessor did in 10 years of service.) Only time will tell if he plans a truly new spirit of openness or if his recent actions are part of a nicely-packaged public relations scheme.

It would take a bold and confident president to change entirely the way this University interacts with students and alumni. I do hope Summers is that president. And if not, get ready Larry, I’ll be watching.

Rosalind S. Helderman ’01, a history concentrator in Pforzheimer House, was managing editor of The Crimson in 2000.