On March 15, 2005, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard voted on a motion that “the Faculty lacks confidence in the leadership of Lawrence H. Summers.” The motion passed, 218 to 185, with 18 abstentions. Summers remained president of the university.
A second motion was scheduled for February 28, 2006. On February 21, Summers announced his resignation. “I believe, therefore, that it is best for the University to have new leadership.”