Boards Quote by Louis Menand
“Getting faculties to come to a consensus about something that they've never really thought about or had to worry about in their careers before can be a rather slow process and a long process, it certainly was the case at Harvard, and it's the case with most of the general education curricula that I know of, it takes four or five years just to get everybody on board with one idea.”
About This Quote
Consensus in academia often takes years because faculty must align diverse perspectives and experiences.
In simple terms: Academic agreement is slow due to varied backgrounds.
Key Takeaway
Allow time for dialogue and shared understanding.
Themes
education
consensus
faculty
disciplinary diversity
process
Mood
analytical
thoughtful
Type
educational
organizational
When to use this quote
- university committees
- policy reform
- interdisciplinary projects
Key Concepts
collaboration
institutional change
curriculum development
Questions to Reflect On
- How can institutions accelerate consensus?
- What structures support faster agreement?
A Different Perspective
Change can be resisted by entrenched interests.
![“[According to Holmes], ‘Every year if not every day we have to wager our salvation upon some prophecy based upon imperfect knowledge. While that experiment is part of our system I think that we should be eternally vigilant against attempts to check the expression of opinions that we loathe and…” quote by Louis Menand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/656/louis-menand-8583_death_according-to-holmes-every-year-if-not-ev_403601.jpg)
![“I am somewhat influenced by the years that I've spent trying to actually get things done, whether it was reforming education in Arkansas or a survey and Legal Services Corporation board when President [Jimmy ]Carter appointed me and trying to get lawyers for poor people. I have worked in these…” quote by Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6c7/hillary-clinton-51_action_i-am-somewhat-influenced-by-the-years-th_9078.jpg)
