Derek Bok talked about his book Our Underachieving Colleges: A Candid Look at How Much Students Learn and Why They Should Be Learning More, published by Princeton University Press. He explained his educational philosophy and his ideas about the ways college students should be learning more. He compared the U.S. educational system with other countries such as China. He identified ways of improving American students' performance in critical thinking, writing, and foreign languages. After his presentation he answered audience members' questions.

Former Harvard President Bok will succeed Laurence Summers as interim president of Harvard University when President Summers' resignation takes effect on June 30, 2006.