An Architect of Expansion

Beginning July 1, Kennedy School Dean Graham T. Allison '62 will be able to once again return to what he calls "the best job in the University"--a professorship.

Allison has been trying to "escape" the deanship of the Kennedy School to return to his passion--studying U.S.-Soviet relations--for the past six years, he says.

But Allison says he stayed on to complete a 12-year tenure at the insistence of President Derek C. Bok, who wanted him to see the Kennedy School through its first stage of development. Allison says the goal was to create a graduate school dedicated to excellence in government that would be as influential as Harvard's other prominent professional schools.

"The key accomplishment of which I am proud is the opportunity to have realized a vision," Allison says. "I feel very grateful for having had the opportunity to dream a dream, develop a strategy for trying to achieve it, working with an extraordinary group of people and ultimately to have seen the dream largely realized."

In trying to realize that vision, Allison--who at the age of 36 became Harvard's youngest dean of a graduate school--pursued an agenda dedicated to expanding the school's physical resources and endowment in the hope of attracting--and retaining--the brightest scholars and practitioners in the world of public policy.

But in an explosive growth that has added faculty and research centers in areas as diverse as poverty, the press and the environment--and executive programs which train everyone from new mayors to national security officers--critics have charged that the expansion has left the school too broad and unfocused. Observers of the school say that the next dean will usher in a long-needed period of consolidation during which the school will have to internalize and digest the hasty growth of the Allison years.

Under his aggressive leadership, the school's endowment grew from $20 million to over $150 million, the faculty more than tripled, and the number of degree candidates at the school increased from 200 to 800. Ten new research centers were established, and the school celebrated the ground-breaking of its third building.

"Graham managed the school under a period of expansion which was very big, very good, and very quick," says Lecturer in Public Policy Martin A. Linsky.

And in the course of his single-minded drive to build the endowment and cement a reputation for the school, the dean often paid too little heed to ethical concerns, critics say.

In 1986 Allison was rebuked by the nationalpress and members of the University's faculty forawarding a medal of "distinguished public service"to Attorney General Edwin Meese III.

The following year he again received nationalattention when The Crimson learned that he hadapproved a draft agreement to give a Texas couple"officer of the University" status in exchange fora $500,000 donation.

"Anybody who accomplishes a lot is bound to becontroversial," says Executive Dean Richard E.Cavanagh. "Graham was a creator, and his expansionmoved very quickly--there were bound to be bumpsalong the way."

Defending his growth strategy, Allison saysthat while his tenure was not without fault, theendowment he built for the school was the mostimportant thing he could have done to secure theschool's future.

"That this whole enterprise is now on anendowment base makes the Kennedy school apermanent feature of Harvard for the indefinitefuture," Allison says. "That is something to takesome great satisfaction in having been a part of."

Because the University operates on the "everytub on its own bottom" philosophy--meaning thatevery school is financially responsible foritself--without an aggressive effort by Allison tobuild a substantial endowment, the school couldnot have grown as it has over the past 12 years ineither physical resources or scholarship, Cavanaghsays.

What was most significant about the phenomenalgrowth of the school, Cavanagh says, was that itestablished the Kennedy School as a first-rateinstitution in public service that could attractand keep renowned people in the field on itsfaculty.

Allison's determined pursuit of a top-notchfaculty has been successful--among the manynotable scholars and practitioners that havepassed through the school during Allison's tenurehave been Dillon Professor of Government RichardE. Neustadt, Professor of Press and Public PolicyMarvin Kalb, Attorney General Richard L.Thornburgh and Gov. Michael S. Dukakis.

The high profile politicos and thewell-respected scholars who Allison has been ableto keep or recruit for the school have helpedestablish the Kennedy School as a prominentinstitution in Washington and the real world ofpolitics--President Bush's victory took half adozen people from the Kennedy School to the WhiteHouse.

But the revolving door of the Kennedy Schoolalso received much scrutiny during the dean'stenure, as critics charged that the school hadbecome a place where defeated politicians tookhaven and signed autographs.

But despite much debate among the faculty aboutthe proper role of practitioners on the school'sfaculty, Allison continued to support theexpansion of faculty with experience outside ofacademia.

Pursuing a unique and controversial agendarequired a great willingness to take risks and beinnovative, say observers of Allison.

"He was the quintessential academic entrepreneur," says Cavanagh. By enterprising in programs inareas such as ethics, poverty and state and localgovernment--disciplines which had not beendeveloped at any other schools of public policy inthe country--Allison took bold risks, he adds.

But critics have also charged that Allison'semphasis on growth led to a slighting ofcurricular issues for many years at the school.During the last presidential campaign, the KennedySchool's curriculum was brought to nationalattention with the candidacy of Gov. Michael S.Dukakis and was criticized for being tootechnocratic.

Emphasis on Ethics

More recently, Bok--in his annual report whichthis year focused on the Kennedy School--called onthe school to consolidate and place a greateremphasis on ethics in its core curriculum.

But Allison sighted the large-scale curriculumreview which began at the school two years ago asevidence that consolidation and review have beenhigh priorities at the school before either thepresidential campaign or the release of thepresident's report.

"The suggestions that the Bok reportmakes--about the curriculum and the need toaddress more seriously the issues of ethics andpolitics--are the issues already in the currentagenda of the school," Allison says.

As a dean he has tried to pursue a policy ofbuilding up a strong faculty in specific areasbefore seeking to incorporate new disciplines intothe core, Allison says.

Because he spent years recruiting people likethe renowned ethicist Dennis F. Thompson andProfessor of Electoral Politics Shirley Williams,the school is now able to commit itself to astronger emphasis on ethics and politics in itscore curriculum, Allison says.

"Before we had built up a bit of teachingexperience in ethics and values, could we just saythat we were going to teach such a course? No--wedid not have the faculty," Allison says.

"While in most of these instances progress hasbeen much too slow for my taste, that has not beenfor a lack of addressing the issues or working onthem," says the outgoing dean.

Another area in which the Kennedy School hasfallen short has been the area minority facultyhiring. Currently there is only one tenured Blackand one tenured woman on the school's faculty.

"In faculty, I would say that the performancehas been unsatisfactory," Allison says. "But Isaid three years ago that we were going to appointto the senior faculty at least one [woman orminority] every year. We did it two years ago, wedid it last year and we now have three offersoutstanding."

One of his last priorities as dean will be tofinalize the minority faculty appointments, hesays.

Next year Allison will be a visiting scholar atthe Carnegie Foundation, during which time heplans to continue in his research of the changingrelationship between the two superpowers.

And as he takes up these studies in the wake ofa tenure during which he fell under almostconstant media scrutiny, Allison says he willwelcome the opportunity to return to the quietlife of an academician