Harvey Glickman 1930–2022

Harvey Glickman, professor emeritus of political science, died April 4. He was 91 years old. 

Glickman earned his B.A. from Princeton University, his Ph.D. from Harvard University, and was a Woodrow Wilson Foundation Fellow at Lincoln College at the University of Oxford. In 1960, he joined the Haverford political science faculty, where he taught until his 2003 retirement.

“Harvey was a renowned scholar, dedicated teacher, and a leading and respected voice in departmental and College affairs over a very long period,” said Professor of Political Science Steve McGovern. “His influence extends far and wide and will persist for many years to come.”

Glickman’s main area of teaching and research was comparative politics, but he also taught courses in American politics, political theory, international relations, and American foreign policy. He also served as visiting professor at universities in Tanzania, South Africa, Israel, and in the U.S. at Berkeley and the University of Pennsylvania. 

At Haverford, Glickman was the first director and campus coordinator of African Studies, part of the Four College Consortium on African Studies, headquartered at Penn. He also served as acting provost in 1976–1977, coordinator of the Bi-Co Peace and Conflict Studies Program, and chair of his department—a position he held five times. After his retirement, he was still actively involved in campus and academic activities, including hosting reading groups (one, for the Hurford Center in 2010, was on “Islamism for Beginners”), teaching occasionally, and publishing with students. 

“Harvey contributed in so many ways to the intellectual life on campus, but one of his most important and enduring contributions involved the senior thesis process,” said McGovern. “He played a leading role in establishing an expectation that all Haverford seniors, and not just candidates for departmental honors, would complete a senior thesis. Harvey institutionalized that requirement in the Political Science Department soon after he arrived in 1960, and over time the practice spread to virtually every other department, making Haverford one of the few colleges or universities in the country with such a requirement. … Harvey took it upon himself to store copies of every political science senior thesis in the closet of the Hall Building Lounge, dating back to the early 1960s. Some of us remember theses stacked from floor to ceiling in that closet before they were finally moved to the library, where they were digitized. Thanks to Harvey’s efforts, the College has every political science thesis going back 60 years.”

Glickman's research reflected his long interest in African politics, which was kindled during his first journey to the continent in 1959. He authored, edited and contributed to six books and numerous articles and reviews for a number of scholarly journals in political science and international relations. Those publications include Ethnic Conflict and Democratization and Political Leaders of Contemporary Africa South of the Sahara, a biographical dictionary that won an award as a Best Reference Book in that year from Choice Magazine. He was also the editor of and contributor to The Crisis and Challenge of African Development and Toward Peace and Security in Southern Africa. Earlier in his career, Glickman authored The Problem of Internal Security in Britain and was co-author of Toward Solving the Puzzle–A Manual for Community Service Organizations.

Glickman's interest in African politics tracked the continent's movement from colonialism to independence, inquiring into the relationship of ideology to program, the development of democracy, the relationship of ethnicity to forms of government, and connections to foreign policy of African leaders, as well as U.S. foreign policy toward Africa.  

He is remembered by his colleagues as a generous teacher and mentor with a lifelong intellectual curiosity.

“Harvey taught me how to teach. When I arrived at Haverford I had never taught an undergraduate political science class. Harvey was my guide—we even co-taught the ‘Introductory Comparative Politics’ class during my first few years here,” said Benjamin R. Collins Professor of Social Sciences Anita Isaacs. “Talk about hands-on mentorship! He helped me figure out how to create a syllabus, organize a lecture, and structure a class discussion. He cultivated my passion for teaching and instilled in me a special attachment to the introductory course. Each fall semester, when I enter the classroom and introduce myself to a new generation of Haverford students, I think of Harvey. He's there in spirit with me.” 

He was a fellow of the Foreign Policy Association, secretary of the Haverford chapter of Phi Beta Kappa, a member of the election observation team for the 1992 Ghanaian presidential election, a Pennsylvania delegate to the 1980 Democratic National Convention, and a former Board of Directors member of the Southeast Pennsylvania Chapter of Americans for Democratic Action, among many other professional and community service positions. He also consulted for several government agencies and non-governmental organizations.
  
In his spare time, Glickman served as the president of the Hildegard Institute, a nonprofit charitable foundation, which he inherited from his late wife of 50 years, Sylvia Foodin Glickman, an accomplished pianist, composer, and music publishing executive. The Hildegard Institute promotes the music of women composers, past and present, and supports the Hildegard Chamber Players, an ensemble devoted to performing music by women composers on their eclectic programs.

Glickman is survived by his children, Lisa Glickman-McDonough, Nina Nathani, and Peter Glickman; and grandchildren, Rian, Mikal, and Kevan Nathani. Relatives and friends are invited to chapel services Sunday April 10 at 11 a.m., at Joseph Levine & Sons, 1002 Skippack Pike, Blue Bell, PA. Interment to follow at Haym Salomon Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation.