"The rewards [for faculty] are not in theteaching," he says. "There's so muchadministration and institutes and programs andmuseums, [things that] aren't directlypedagogical, and there's a price for that."
Levenson says that when he graduated from theCollege, "there was not one tenured faculty memberin the English department who had me in class whoknew me from Adam."
While he attributes this to his own shyness, headds that Harvard's "over-worked faculty" aretempted to give teaching less attention than theirother responsibilities.
"Harvard tends to be very impersonal," he says."It's a good place [for undergraduates] if youknow what you want to study. If you don't you getlost in the shuffle."
Levenson dubs Cores with many TFs"mega-courses" and says they "are not to thecredit of the University."
While undergraduates can periodically invitefaculty to eat with them at the Houses' FacultyDinners, Levenson says more structured,intellectual exchanges between students andfaculty are necessary.
"Schmoozing over coffee doesn't do it," hesays.
Metrick says Harvard is by its nature moreimpersonal than some students and faculty wouldlike.
"You have to be aggressive. That's Harvard," hesays. "At Swarthmore faculty knock on your door;here you have to knock on our doors, but we'llopen them."