Arrow Will Receive University Chair

The Harvard Corporation yesterday appointed Kenneth J. Arrow, professor of Economics, a University Professor.

Arrow will become the James Bryant Connant University Professor on July 1, joing seven other University Professors at Harvard. The Corporation establishes University Professorships for distinguished scholarship in any field.

Arrow won the 1972 Nobel Prize for Economics for his contributions to equilibrium and welfare theory. He shared the prize with Sir John Hicks of Oxford University.

Stanford University last winter offered to give Arrow its Lang Professorship of Economics in September, 1975, but he turned it down in March, saying he had "seriously" considered it.

Arrow also said March 5, that the possibility of his leaving Harvard "has not been completely removed from the future."

Arrow, who was traveling to San Francisco yesterday, was unavailable for comment.

However, his wife said yesterday that he found out about his appointment Friday. She said she did not believe the professorship had anything to do with his earlier announcement that he was considering leaving Harvard.

Difficult Choice

"We're not thinking about it now. We're postponed the decision on leaving," she said.

"California's been our home, but we have personal reasons for remaining here. It's a very difficult choice," she added.

Arrow was professor of Economics, Statistics and Operations Research at Stanford from 1949 to 1968.

Oscar Handlin, Pforzheimer University Professor, said last night that each University Professorship is "a deal of its own."

Handlin said the appointment is "the sole decision of the president" and that the appointee works out the terms of the post with him.

President Bok was unavailable for comment last night.

Arrow said March 5, that he did not want to put his decision about leaving "on a bargaining basis" with Harvard administrators and that those persuading him not to leave "did just right."

"They didn't sit on my doorstep, but on the other hand, they said it often enough and loudly enough that I felt convinced," he said.