“Larry has strong views and he lets his views be known...This means that not everyone will always agree with him,” Singer wrote in an e-mail. “However, I believe that many faculty respect him precisely because he is willing
“He certainly became well-known for his intrusion and micromanagement,” Cavanagh said.
But Cavanagh said he has since noticed a change in the president’s style which may enable him to garner more support. “I don’t see him doing that now, not that he won’t turn up and do something again,” he said.
Others argued that Summers’ style changed little, but that in this second year of his presidency more people grew accustomed to it.
According to Ramsey Professor of Political Economy at the Kennedy School Richard Zeckhauser ’62, a long-time friend of Summers, more people take the president’s aggressive style as given—making them less reluctant to back his views.
“My guess is he has changed his style slightly, but I think what has happened is more people have just gotten used to his style,” Zeckhauser said.
And those who have not quite grown accustomed to Summers’ authoritative nature may choose to support him out of fear, some professors said.
“He’s got this very aggressive style, which I think is sometimes frightening, especially to junior faculty,” Business School Professor Louis T. Wells said.
Mansfield agreed that the president’s agenda has not been seriously questioned, despite the verbal attacks on Summers following some of his gaffes.
“Though a lot of the faculty may be wary of him, no one has challenged him, particularly after the Cornel West incident,” Mansfield said. “He is an imposing intellectual figure, he’s not a person you can argue down and dismiss.”
But Summers’ style “certainly can make things more difficult,” according to the professor involved in the life sciences initiatives.
“I think he’s starting to get more used to how Harvard works, but in the end, the faculty has to be enthusiastic and involved,” he said. “Otherwise, things don’t get going.”
—Staff writer Jenifer L. Steinhardt can be reached at steinhar@fas.harvard.edu.
—Staff writer Elisabeth S. Theodore can be reached at theodore@fas.harvard.edu.