Word: inertia
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Such is one sign of a successful university: its institutional inertia has developed so completely that even its leader is utterly incapable of stopping its usual routine. If the Blizzard of 1978 is any indication, Harvard can essentially operate without any overarching guidance or direction. But merely allowing a university to trudge forward under its own power endangers the university’s long-term aims; mere repetition of the daily slog does not constitute a march forward...
...loss slides a team down, a quality win bumps a team up. Therefore, a stinky squad that had the good fortune to be ranked in the preseason lingers in the Top 25 for far too long, while an unheralded dynamo is forced to wait weeks to crack the list.This inertia mainly plagues the national rankings, but many of the same problems attend to conference polls. In the Ivy League above all, where there is no possibility of qualifying for the playoffs, where the only relevant title is the Ancient Eight crown, and strength of schedule and margin of victory...
...like final clubs, the house system, and shopping period—apply less to University governance, bust are still part of the zeitgeist of the school that need to be understood before policy is made. These traditions also act as obstacles and create a tremendous amount of inertia. A new president needs to understand them so that he or she can comprehend what can and cannot be changed quickly...
...intelligence,” Oppenheimer said. “So thank you.” Between live “moments of science” demonstrations, a “Win-A-Date-With-a-Nobel-Laureate” contest, and a new mini-opera entitled “Inertia Makes the World Go Round,” the ceremony found time to recognize past Ig Nobel celebrities. 2003 winner C.W. Moeliker, who documented the first scientifically recorded case of homosexual necrophilia in the mallard duck, was on hand along with Lisa R. Danielson and William L. Sefanov who were...
...possible.A college is more than just its scholars. In our plentiful supply of outstanding preceptors, lecturers, and professors, we have the building blocks of what could significantly augment our undergraduate education. What it will take to make that change is something Harvard must learn to do better: overcome institutional inertia in the pursuit of excellence...