Vote Shakes Divisive Harvard Chief

Harvard's beleaguered president was fighting for his job last night after a humiliating no-confidence vote from his fellow academics.

The 218-185 vote yesterday by members of the faculty of arts and science was ostensibly symbolic, with decisions about Lawrence Summers' fate resting with the university's governing board.

So far, the board has extended its support for Mr Summers, who has come under fire for his managerial style and comments on women in science, but that may prove untenable.

Last night's vote made it increasingly unlikely that Mr Summers can convince his colleagues that he is able or willing to soften an imperious leadership style, and the board may develop second thoughts about having such a divisive personality at its helm.

The meeting was Mr Summers' third encounter with professors since his explosive comments last January that intrinsic differences in ability partly explain why there are fewer women in the pool of applicants for top science jobs.

He has also held several smaller meetings with professors, and nominated two task forces to look into the hiring of women academics at the university.

But the efforts do not appear to have lessened the fury of some professors and students at Mr Summers' comments, or his stewardship of Harvard.

Known for his brilliance as an economist, Mr Summers had already had a stormy tenure as Harvard president.

He has apologised repeatedly for the remarks on women in science, made at an academic conference.

In a long address delivered without notes, he speculated that women lagged behind men in the sciences and engineering because of biological differences, using as an example his young daughter's atti tude towards her toy trucks. He also said that women academics were held back by their childcare responsibilities, denying that discrimination continued to be a factor in university hiring and promotion.

On their own, the comments would have been explosive, but Mr Summers already had a poor record on hiring women professors at Harvard.

He told the Harvard Crimson newspaper last night he would continue his efforts to win over the faculty, promising to "listen to all that has been said, to learn from it, and to move forward". But it is unclear how long the university will be willing to wait for Mr Summers to re-assert his authority.

Last night's vote forced the university to go on defending Mr Summers rather than concentrating on the management of Harvard's $22bn endowment and ambitious expansion plans.

"This was a resounding statement that the faculty lacks confidence in President Lawrence Summers and he should resign," J Lorand Matory, the anthropologist who introduced the motion, told the Crimson.

Mr Summers has an equally passionate camp of supporters, who have defended his comments on women as free speech. In an email sent moments after the vote, Harvard Students for Larry rejected the vote, saying: "This demonstrates a complete rejection of the major tenets of academic freedom".