Space for Staples?

President Drew G. Faust’s recent nomination to the Staples Board of Directors—a position for which she would likely earn something like $300,000 annually—represents an unsavory relationship with the corporate world that is perhaps best avoided. While Faust’s membership of the board does not pose an immediate threat to the integrity of her post at Harvard, her acceptance of a position that bears little relevance to her work as an academic and university administrator calls into question her professional priorities. We encourage Faust to tread cautiously as she enters a realm that is decidedly dissimilar to, and often at odds with, academia.

Admittedly, Harvard Business School Professor Jay W. Lorsch’s assertion that university presidents’ affiliation with corporations is a definite “no-no” is a bit overblown. But Faust’s entry into a field that is wholly separate from academia creates an uncomfortable impression of impropriety that ought to be regarded with utmost seriousness. It is not inconceivable that a conflict of interests might arise during her tenure on the Staples Board of Directors, as is not uncommon in collaborations between academics and corporations. Between 2006 and 2008, for example, a number of Harvard professors worked for the Monitor Group, a consulting firm commissioned by the Libyan government to “enhance international appreciation for Libya,” and in part specifically the reputation of its now-deposed dictator Muammar Qaddafi and his family.

We expect that Faust will disclose and appropriately manage any such potential conflicts of interests. Above all else, Faust’s commitment to the Harvard community must not be compromised as she serves on the board of Staples.

It is difficult to imagine that Faust, as the president of a large and prominent university, would have the time to take on another major commitment at an outside organization. To the contrary, it seems that Faust, who holds just two office hours per semester, would do better to spend more of her time speaking with and addressing the concerns of students than working for an organization whose mission is unrelated to that of a university.

Ultimately, Faust’s nomination to Staples’ Board of Directors carries the potential to be somewhat incongruous with her responsibilities as the president of Harvard. While President Faust might well be able to fill both positions effectively, there is something to be said for being mindful of the image that she projects as one of the world’s premier representatives of academia.