Press Corps Voices Approval of Bok

Although the judgment of history on Derek C. Bok is not yet in, the judgment of newspapers is American journalism approves of the Corporation's choice.

Three papers-the New York Times, the Boston Globe, and the Boston Herald-Traveler, ran lead editorials on Bok yesterday. The Times called Bok's appointment "symbolic of the beginning of a new era" for Harvard.

One Boston paper speculated about the qualities which led the Corporation to choose Bok. While praising his appointment, the Herald said "If there are a lot of people across the land today wondering about the identity of Derek C. Bok, the Corporation and the Board of Overseers should not be offended. Chances are, it was planned that way.... they no doubt were looking for someone who antagonizes the fewest of the polarized campus groupings..." The Globe called Dean Bok "a fine choice."

The Evening Globe went even further, giving front page play to a story about Mrs. Bok, whom it referred to as "lovely Sissela Bok."

The Yale Daily News carried a small front page story. It quoted John Blum, Fellow of the Corporation and Yale history professor, who praised Bok's "deep and genuine interest in education and his real concern about how and why students learn."

Reaction among academics to the Bok appointment has also been favorable. Yale President Kingman Brewster, a friend and former teacher of Bok, called him "a superb choice, not just for Harvard but for the sake of all of higher education." Solicitor General Enwin Griswold, who brought both Bok and Brewster to the Law School when he was Dean, was "delighted by the appointment."