Does Professor Cornel West Matter?
But then came Dr.West, the Alphonse Fletcher, Jr., University Professor at Harvard. West and Summers came into conflict when the Harvard President questioned some of the professor’s non-scholarly pursuits. These included West’s role as political consultant to presidential aspirants Bill Bradley and Al Sharpton; his defense of Sean “P. Diddy” Combs during the rap impresario’s gun trial; and his recording of a spoken word/rap album entitled “Sketches of My Culture” while on a year’s medical leave from Harvard. More important to Summers, however, were West’s inflationary grading practices. Summers also reportedly suggested to West that the professor should write “a major academic book,” to supplement his more publicity-oriented pursuits. In other words, Summers asked West to participate in a program of academic reform and accountability. The Professor wouldn’t have any of it. Miffed at Summers’ reproach, West threatened to flee Harvard for the more hospitable climate of Princeton—and he w
