Last month’s eruption of controversy between University President Lawrence H. Summers and the Afro-American Studies Department fueled speculation—from dining hall conversations to articles in national newspapers—about Summers’ commitment to diversity.

A discussion between Summers and Fletcher University Professor Cornel West ’71 sparked the conflict, leading prominent members of Harvard’s department and national figures such as the Rev. Jesse Jackson to publicly criticize Summers for his tepid support of affirmative action.

After intense media scrutiny, Summers issued a public statement pledging his strong support for diversity, and members of the Afro-American Studies Department soon said the dispute had been smoothed over.

Now, Afro-American Studies Department Chair Henry Louis “Skip” Gates Jr. says he is “firmly convinced” that when Summers says he is committed to diversity, he means it.

But as Summers continues to define his agenda as the University’s 27th President, the importance of diversity among his many ambitious priorities remains to be seen.

The Provost’s Role

As the controversy with the Afro-American Studies department snowballed into a media circus, the public eye focused on Summers.

Within the University, however, top administrators often mention Provost Steven E. Hyman in discussions about diversity.

On Oct. 29, Summers announced his selection of Hyman as provost, touting the importance of a seamless partnership between Harvard’s top two administrative posts.

And promoting diversity, Hyman says, is an important priority that he and Summers share.

Summers’ comments on diversity have generally consisted of broad statements praising diversity both in academia and in society at large.

“Diversity is essential because there is so much as a society that we need to do to find every possible source of excellence,” Summers says.

But when Hyman discusses diversity, ideas for specific changes at Harvard accompany the more general observations.

Though the Office of the Provost does not have an official mandate to deal with diversity, Hyman says he plans to “ensure that we are doing everything we should with respect to recruitment and retention of a diverse faculty.”

Though he says he is still learning the inner workings of Harvard after only eight weeks on the job, Hyman has already begun to discuss strengthening the recruitment and retention of female faculty with Radcliffe Institute of Advanced Study Dean Drew Gilpin Faust.