Chapter 11

1. Do you think Larry Summers was too outspoken?

Larry Summers is able to say what he pleases. He has that right. But i do believe he could have basically said the same thing, just differently, and it would have been better. He is able to say anything he wants, yes, but he is held in high regard in a very public position and needs to realize that when he says something, a lot of people are going to hear it. Summers got mixed up in all this trouble because he mixed business matters with personal matters. Even if his statements were “behind closed doors,” you always represent your place of employment. It doesn’t matter where you are or who you are talking to.

2. How would you characterize Summers’s remarks about diversity?

Meh. He probably didn’t say them to hurt anyone, but i don’t exactly think he was as sincere as he should have been when he was apologizing. He did give some money to women in science, but still.

3. Was it wise for the president to apologize after his public spats with the faculty?

Absolutely. If he didn’t he probably would have been treated even more harshly.

4. If you were Larry Summers’s public relations advisor, what would you have counseled him to do in presiding over such a tumultuous situation?

I would have him give multiple press conferences to try and limit the damage to his reputation. I would also suggest he admit that he was wrong. Don’t bother with the whole “statements were taken out of context” scenario. Nobody wants to hear his excuses. He should also give to a local charity or do some sort of community work to show he still cares about his community.

5. If you were Harvard Board’s public relations advisor, what would you have advised it to do about the Summers situation?

Harvard needs to do the classic “Summer’s values and beliefs to not reflect those of Harvard” speech and show the public that they are not a racist or sexist school. I would advise they ask Summers to resign. That would show they have a zero tolerance for that kind of behavior.