“There is a strong sense of alienation and isolation in the student experience here,” said third-year Josh Aronovitch.
Several students said that Clark has fostered an atmosphere that prioritizes corporate law over government work, public service and public interest law. The new dean, they said, should have experience in multiple fields of legal work.
Cathy Hart, a third-year HLS student, told Summers that she hoped the next dean would strive to recruit more mothers and maintain their retention rates at the law school.
When one student encouraged Summers to release a short-list of the HLS dean search finalists to provoke discussion about the qualities most important in choosing Clark’s successor, many in the audience responded with a standing ovation.
“We need someone who is willing to stand up for the students, and be proactive,” third-year Chris Kolovox added.
“Does that include a dean who is willing to resist many of the sentiments applauded here tonight?” Summers responded.
Kolovox added that it was crucial for Summers to make the short list public.
“This is not about the students choosing the dean, but rather them feeling as though they can weigh in on the issue,” he said, “especially at the Law School, where everyone feels like they are smarter than they really are and their opinions are better than anyone else, this could offer a way for discussion to be had, for students to feel like they are being listened to more.”
Another student who spoke at the meeting cited a recent random survey of second and third-year HLS students which he said he conducted along with a student at the Graduate School of Education.
According to the results, he said, 47.5 percent of students said that caring about student concerns should be the most important quality in the new dean. Charisma and courage were close seconds.
Summers chided students for not being more forthcoming with suggestions on the dean search, citing a low volume of e-mail to the address he set up for the purpose of collecting student sentiments.
“Ultimately, this is a choice that is made, not negotiated,” Summers told students. “This is the tradition of most universities. We’ve received much more feedback from faculty than students on this issue, but of course I am happy to discuss the dean search with students in my office hours.”
But Kolovox said after the meeting that many students would be hesitant to e-mail Summers their views.
“I fear that I would not get a response, and even if I did, it would be perfunctory and probably from an aide of Summers,” he said. “It comes across as disingenuous at some level, and does not feel quite right.”
—Staff writer Lauren A.E. Schuker can be reached at schuker@fas.harvard.edu.