Departures at K-School Leave No Top Black Administrators

The Kennedy School of Government this year has suffered serious setbacks in its efforts to increase the number of minorities in its administration.

The school had recently increased its affirmative action hiring after coming under fire in 1980 for its all-white, predominantly male composition.

But William E. Trucheart's recently announced decision to leave his post as director of the Masters in Public Administration (MPA) program has once again left the K-School with no top-level Black administrators.

Trucheart's decision to accept another University position comes within six months of the resignations of two other Black administrators.

Tom Sellers, the former associate director of the MPA program who was himself in charge of minority student recruitment, left the K-School this summer for a top post at the state Welfare Department, and Adelaide K. Jones, once associate director of Career Planning, accepted a Law School post last spring.

But K-School officials said this week they doubt the three resignations will substantially damage the school's minority student recruitment effort.

Trucheart said yesterday that the three recent resignations were "independent and coincidental," based only on moves that were good for each professionally. "It's important that people realize I'm not leaving the ship because I've run into a wall of racism," he added.

Trucheart will leave his post December 1 for another as yet undisclosed position with the University. Officials at the K-School said yesterday they have been interviewing candidates for the opening MPA job, but were unsure whether Trueheart's successor would be picked from within the present stuff.

The K-School was sharply criticized by students and minority groups three years ago for its small number of women and minority faculty and administration. In fall 1980, the K-School teaching faculty was composed of 44 white males, 3 white women, and no minorities.

Although some progress has been made since then in hiring, many minorities at the school say they still see much need for improvement. "Harvard is an affirmative action nightmare," said Paul Godley, a second-year public administration student who was head of the K-School's Black Student Caucus last year.

At the same time that minorities were protesting the school's lack of minority faculty, some students also urged the school to hire a full-time minority student recruiter. That demand was met with the engagement of Sellers two years ago.

Recruiting

Trueheart said he hoped his and Sellers' departures would not hurt the school's images among potential minority applicants.

"There's no question that having three minorities leave in six months is problematical," he said. But Trueheart added that he was confident other administrators and current students would be successful in "getting the word out that minority students are in fact welcome" at the K-School.

According to several K-School officials, the school is actively continuing its efforts to encourage minority applications. Benito Gonzalez, an admissions officer who assumed Sellers' recruitment responsibilities upon his resignation, said yesterday he was working to boost the school's contact with Black and Hispanic potential applicants.

Gonzalez added that he did not foresee an image problem stemming from Trueheart's and Sellers' resignations.

"The school's commitment to increasing minorities in the student body, faculty and administration will not falter because of this," said David Irons, director of external affairs.

Only 12 percent of the current MPA class are U.S. minorities, Trueheart said, adding that it was a "sharp drop" from last year's rate of 18 percent.

He attributed the drop to an increase in deferred admissions because of students' financial difficulties.

K-School officials said they expected minority admissions to jump for the coming year, partly as a result of a new recruitment brochure aimed at minority students.

The K-School this summer also hired two new Black assistant administrators as part of an ongoing attempt to increase its number of minority faculty.

Trueheart said he was optimistic the school would continue to make more minority appointments. "A school of government has to set a standard in that direction," he added