But “she was turned down by President Summers,” who has the final say in matters of tenure, Waters said.

At the same time, according to Waters, Bobo and Morgan had been in talks with Stanford throughout the 2003-2004 academic year and had been given the job offer they would eventually accept this past Spring.

When Harvard’s counter-offer came late last Summer and did not include tenure for Morgan, who began her Harvard professorship last year, the couple decided to leave.

A tenured professor who requested anonymity said that efforts were made to retain Bobo and that in particular “[FAS] Dean [William C.] Kirby was doing his best to try to keep Professor Bobo.” But Stanford’s offer, coupled with Summers’ veto of tenure for Morgan, ensured Bobo’s and Morgan’s departure by the end of this fall term.

Summers declined to comment for this story through a spokesperson.

W.E.B. DuBois Professor of the Humanities and Af-Am Department Chair Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr., said that he was disappointed that Morgan was not granted tenure and that she and Bobo will be leaving Harvard.

“We are obviously disappointed with the result [of Morgan’s tenure process],” he said.“This is a devastating loss both for the Department of African and African American Studies and for Harvard University.”

BUREAUCRACY MATTERS

Yet Gates said that his relationship with Summers remains strong.

“We have a wonderfully warm, direct and honest relationship,” Gates said. “While we do not always agree, I believe that we respect each other’s opinions.”

But other professors, both in the sociology and Af-Am departments, expressed disappointment with the manner in which Bobo’s and Morgan’s situation was handled.

“I’m upset that Professor Bobo is leaving and I’m perplexed as to why this happened, why Harvard couldn’t keep them,” Waters said. “It would be nice to get some answers.”

“It’s not that it’s not an attractive idea to go to Stanford,” she continued. “There’s a really good center for the study of race, there’s a really good sociology department. But my sense is that if Harvard had made an equal offer than Stanford that we could’ve kept them,” she said.

Dawson also expressed regret that Morgan was not granted tenure and that Bobo and Morgan are departing Cambridge.

“I obviously think that we are going to miss Morgan’s work, and Bobo’s work,” he said.