Campus Awaits West Decision

Despite speculation that Fletcher University Professor Cornel R. West ’74 would decide early this week whether he will depart Harvard for Princeton at the end of the academic year, professors close to West said yesterday that the scholar has not yet made up his mind.

“Professor West will not be making a decision this week,” said Climenko Professor of Law Charles J. Ogletree in a statement released by his assistant yesterday.

And as of yesterday evening, West had still not responded to Princeton’s offer of a position, according to Princeton University spokesperson Marilyn H. Marks.

The Board of Trustees, which must approve all appointments to the Princeton faculty, will meet this Saturday.

“If he gets back to us, [the trustees] would prepare to discuss it on Saturday,” Marks said.

As West continues to contemplate the future of his career, students, Faculty and administrators at Harvard have been urging the professor not to head south.

University President Lawrence H. Summers said Monday that he has made several attempts to reach out to the professor.

DuBois Professor of the Humanities Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr. said yesterday that both he and Ogletree have been asked by Summers to try to convince West to remain in Cambridge.

“The president has been trying to reach Professor West, but I don’t think they’ve connected yet,” Gates said.

Additionally, a student-led effort gathered 1,200 signatures for a petition that lauded West’s contributions to the University and encouraged him to stay.

That petition was delivered to West’s office on Monday.

Student leaders of the campaign said that West has not yet responded to their efforts.

According to Isaac J. Weiler ’02, president of the Black Men’s Forum (BMF), West was attending a conference in New York at the beginning of the week and thus could not receive the petition in person.

But Weiler said that West’s assistant told him earlier this week that West would likely pick up the petition Tuesday night or yesterday morning.

West could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The BMF was one of many student groups across the University that participated in the petition campaign.

—Staff writer Kate L. Rakoczy can be reached at rakoczy@fas.harvard.edu.