Harvard's decision to encourage public service
From Thursday, January 16, 2003
Here's exactly what Larry Summers and the Dean of the Kenney School at Harvard had to say according to this Harvard Gazette story. When I'd met with Summers right after his tenure as Harvard President had begun I had suggested that Harvard do something on a large scale such as raising a billion dollars for education or for curing AIDS...that that would be something my generation could get behind not throwing more money into the blackhole that is Harvard's $18B or so endowment. So I'm especially glad to see the direction he is taking Harvard. Excellent!
"Enabling top students to come to Harvard to prepare for careers in public service or academic fields is a top priority," said Summers. "It has long been true at Harvard College that no talented student is prevented from coming here because of an inability to pay. The same should be true of the most able students who come to Harvard to be scholars, doctors, architects, or teachers."
"This initiative could not come at a better time," said Joseph S. Nye Jr., dean of Harvard's Kennedy School of Government. "The world situation demands the best minds attacking complex issues with expertise and sound judgment, and these programs will help us to attract and train top talent. President Summers said when he arrived that he wanted to increase support for public service, and these programs represent important progress toward that goal."
posted by Mihail at 7:22 PM Comments (0) (link)
Harvard to provide loans, scholarships for students into Public Service
I was hoping that Harvard's new president, Larry Summers, who was formerly the Treasury Secretary and the Chief Economist at the World Bank, would start to aggressively take Harvard into areas such as education and public service. According to a New York Times story (registration required):
In a new program to encourage graduate students to enter public service, Harvard University plans to give $14 million in "presidential scholarships" over the next three years to 200 to 300 graduate students interested in public service or research careers.
It will also offer below-market-rate loans to all 12,000 of its graduate and professional students — including those from outside the United States — and solicit donations for a new universitywide fund to support students who enter less lucrative public-interest careers.