By all accounts, Rudenstine had a special relationship with the department. As a top curricular priority, the department had access—some claim privilege.

This situation put Summers in a precarious position.

When Summers outlined his priorities in his October installation speech, Afro-American studies was not mentioned. Summers now avows full commitment to the department, pledging to fight to keep senior department members.

But according to one administrator, Summers originally hoped to distinguish himself from his predecessor.

“[Summers] wanted to make clear that [Afro-American studies department members] would be treated like others,” one administrator said, meaning an end “to special treatment that Rudenstine gave them.”

The task was one that was not likely to win Summers the affection Rudenstine enjoyed. Now, as a result of making his point too forcefully, Summers may have made enemies.

The Moves Make The Man

Summers is different from Rudenstine on yet another crucial count: from the get-go, he has outlined goals that, while ambitious, are fraught with controversy.

Some say Summers has already proved himself a stronger president than Rudenstine.

One administrator lauds Summers for forcing people to think about things they might not want to be thinking about.

Summers has stuck stubbornly to the themes mentioned in his installation speech.

Audiences unreceptive to his mantra of change haven’t daunted him. The friction with Afro-American studies is only the most visible of the disputes this fall.

Rudenstine asked the law school what they thought of a move to University land in Allston. They wanted to stay put. When Summers arrived, he told them they would have to at least consider it.

Summers’ allies point out that Summers seems to have won this first skirmish—the law school has convened a committee to consider the unthinkable: a move to Allston.

Summers has been as dogged about his other priorities. Faculty members speculate that any criticism of West for absenteeism stems from Summers’ pledge to bring senior faculty into closer interaction with undergraduates.

Snowball

Summers’ honeymoon—if there was one—ended several days ago when the story broke. In the days following, it has snowballed. Now Latino professors, quoted in the Boston Globe, are saying they feel Summers has given their calls for a center short shrift. One administrator speculated that there may be a bandwagon effect.

In response to the Afro-American studies conflict, the president has moved from issuing vague responses on demand through a spokesperson, to a full-fledged personal statement posted for all to see on his web site.

But he hasn’t yet shown what many are waiting to see: some sign that the next time around, he will be more aware of the effect of his ambitious ideas and his aggressive voice.

—Staff writer David H. Gellis can be reached at gellis@fas.harvard.edu