Ellison withdraws $100m Harvard gift

By Lucy Sherriff → More by this author

28 Jun 2006 15:13

Namesake's resignation blamed

Following the resignation of Harvard president Larry Summers, Oracle boss Larry Ellison has decided not to donate over $100m to the university after all.

Ellison's cash was to fund research into the quality of worldwide government healthcare problems, and according to Oracle's spokespeople, Ellison viewed Summers' participation as critical to the study.

"In light of Summers' resignation, Larry Ellison has decided to reconsider his decision," a spokesman told Reuters. "There was never a formal agreement but it had been talked about."

You might remember Larry Summers as the man who last year offered his views on why so few women work in scientific research, including "innate" differences between the sexes.

His remarks sparked an often bad-tempered debate on the subject, with his opponents pointing out that the number of women being offered tenure at the university had dropped on his watch. However, his supporters said that his ideas were legitimate points for a debate. ®

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