Will Harvard follow Dartmouth?

It doesn’t happen as often as it should, in fact I’m not sure it ever happens, but here’s a case where Harvard (specifically, its alumni) should consider following Dartmouth. As I described last night, Dartmouth has established a recent tradition of electing “petition candidates” to its Board of Trustees. These candidates bring a spirit of independence to the board that otherwise is largely lacking.
Now, Harvard alums will have the opportunity to elect a petition candidate, Robert Freedman ’62, to Harvard’s Board of Overseers. Judging by this piece in the Harvard Crimson, Mr. Freedman will reject the “docile role” most hand-picked trustees embrace both at Harvard and at Dartmouth. His campaign centers arouond a greater focus on Harvard undergraduate education. He also zeroes in on issues of academic excellence and accountability, and makes a strong appeal for more involvement on the part of alumni and trustees.
You can visit Freedman’s web site here.