THE QUESTION
Too smart to lead?
Elena Kagan's nomination has raised the prospect of an "all-Ivy" Supreme Court. Is it a good idea for any institution, or any sector of society, to rely so heavily on a handful of elite universities to educate and train its leaders?
Posted by Steve Pearlstein and Raju Narisetti on May 18, 2010 5:21 AM
FROM THE PANEL
The Supreme Court's immigrant roots
Will the Supreme Court justices remember where they came from -- not just their elite education but their immigrant parents and ancestors?
Posted by Juana Bordas, on May 19, 2010 2:20 PM
Wicked smart, despite naysayers
Imagine if the president had nominated a woman from a less prestigious school? You can bet the naysayers would have been squealing she wasn't good enough for the job.
Posted by Kathryn Kolbert, on May 19, 2010 2:11 PM
The best and brightest
If they all hold degrees from America's most prestigious universities, so be it.
Posted by Robert Goodwin, on May 18, 2010 2:29 PM
Ivy is good but we need more
There is nothing wrong with a bunch of Ivy League minds coming together on the Supreme Court bench, but we have to ask what else matters in rendering the best justice we can.
Posted by Martin Davidson, on May 18, 2010 12:21 PM
No Ivy monopoly on leadership
We should never permit any institution, or elite group of institutions, to be the sole source of leadership, because no one institution possesses all of the best and brightest.
Posted by Katherine Tyler Scott, on May 18, 2010 11:48 AM
Ivy League influence
There is clear evidence that our place in elite social networks explains our social status and mobility.
Posted by Scott DeRue, on May 18, 2010 11:04 AM
The test of a meritocracy
Our university system should be a point of pride for us. The American system works because we believe in merit.
Posted by Yash Gupta, on May 18, 2010 10:26 AM
Intelligence -- or access?
Effective leaders are street savvy because they are curious. We need our leaders to ask questions both to gain information as well as to challenge assumptions.
Posted by John Baldoni, on May 18, 2010 10:11 AM
Liability for elected leaders
While some elected leaders have Ivy League backgrounds, few flaunt it and many disguise it.
Posted by Slade Gorton, on May 18, 2010 5:58 AM
Ready for legal combat
President Obama and Democrats would do far better basing their support for candidates on those who embody a progressive judicial philosophy rather than a particular set of life experiences.
Posted by Jon Cowan, on May 18, 2010 5:34 AM
Ivies more diverse than ever
In 1960, the Ivy League was filled with white males, mostly WASP, with a sprinkling of Jews and Catholics, and one or two token blacks per campus.
Posted by Howard Gardner, on May 18, 2010 5:29 AM
Skin-deep diversity
The value of diversity is not captured in a photograph; it is realized when different perspectives are brought to the table that were shaped by varying experiences.
Posted by Coro Fellows, on May 18, 2010 4:31 AM
Save & Share:
carraway: The problem isn't that these people went to Harvard; the problem is that they essentially never left. Get in; get a clerkship; get an upper ...
killerm: Eric Holder's recent admission about not even reading the Arizona Immigration bill that he was so robustly criticizing is just one example o...
IGiveup1: We tried "too dumb to lead." Didn't work out well. Let's try this for a while....
