Rosovsky Pens 'How-To' Book

With the massive amounts of reading Harvard's professors require of students at exam time, undergraduates may be relieved to know that the Faculty will soon have some required reading of its own.

Norton Publishing has announced a March release date for The University: An Owner's Manual, penned by Geyser University Professor Henry Rosovsky. Rosovsky, a veteran administrator who currently sits on the seven-member Harvard Corporation, served as dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences from 1973 to 1984.

The 300-page book discusses the roles of students, faculty, alumni and the press in the operation and governance of American universities. Although many of the book's examples and anecdotes are drawn from his own experience at Harvard, Rosovsky said he meant the book to apply to American higher education as a whole.

"This is an attempt to write something applicable to the top 50 to 100 American universities," Rosovsky said. "It's not a collection of my memoirs."

As a member of the Corporation, the University's chief governing board, Rosovsky technically is entitled to describe himself as one of Harvard's owners. But he said he called the book an "owner's manual" because "everyone involved in a university claims to own it."

I've tried to write a book that addresses all the groups involved and that explains their role in the university," Rosovsky said.

Harvard faculty members who have received advance copies of Rosovsky's book praised it for its insight into university life.

"Rosovsky makes a very persuasive case for his ideas," said David Riesman '31,professor of social sciences, emeritus.

Riesman said he was particularly interested inRosovsky's contention that students should opt toattend large research universities instead ofsmaller liberal-arts colleges.

"It's really a non-complacent account," Riesmansaid. "He's simply saying that there are things wecan do that a smaller college can't do."

Warburg Professor of Economics, Emeritus JohnKenneth Galbraith predicted that Rosovsky's bookwould be well received by the Harvard community.

"It's an excellent book," Galbraith said."Probably the best view of the Faculty of Arts andScience that I've ever read."

Galbraith, whose own literary talents run moreto the mainstream, will publish a fictionalaccount of life at Harvard entitled A TenuredProfessor next month.

But Galbraith indicated that a literary rivalrybetween the two economists is unlikely to arise.He said that Rosovsky's experience as dean hadgiven him experience with aspects of Universitylife with which he is unfamiliar.

"I have never been similarly involved in thetedious tasks of the University," Galbraith said