Harvard president returns to Detroit roots
After being named the 29th president of Harvard University in February and taking office in July, Michigan native Larry Bacow rolled up his sleeves and went to work. But eventually he wanted to go home. He fulfilled that desire late last week, traveling to his birthplace, Detroit, and to neighboring Pontiac, where he grew up and attended public schools. He met with students, educators, Harvard alumni, state and local leaders, and private-sector officials, and in his remarks lauded and promoted investment in the city and continued to make the national case for the importance of college. During the trip — which included a visit to a local high school, a reception with Harvard graduates, and a conversation at a Detroit networking and ideas festival — Bacow repeatedly emphasized the “transformative power of higher education.” His father, a refugee from the pogroms of Eastern Europe, parked cars at night to pay for college and...