Afro-Am, Psych Scholar Nixes Offer

A post-doctoral student courted by Harvard for more than a year recently turned down a joint appointment in the Afro-American Studies and Psychology departments, faculty members said yesterday.

Ernestine Brown, a developmental psychologist, chose to remain in a postdoctoral fellowship at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, Md., rather than join the Harvard faculty as a junior professor.

In an interview yesterday, Brown said she hopes to come to Harvard after she has completed more research.

"I definitely would like to be at Harvard, and it is my goal to continue to work so that I can be a faculty member at Harvard," she said. "I think it would be better for me to be there as a senior person, rather than as a junior person."

Professor of Afro-American Studies K. Anthony Appiah said Brown would have been a valuable addition to the faculty as a resource for students interested in the role of race in developmental psychology.

"From a teaching point of view, that's what she would have been good for," Appiah said.

Professor of Psychology Sheldon H. White said members of his department learned about Brown's decision on Wednesday.

He said he is "still hoping that perhaps after she finishes the post-doc, she will come."

White said that when Brown was offered the position, the psychology department was actively seeking a scholar with experience in Afro-American studies.

"We were at the time looking for such a person," he said.

But he said he does not know if the faculty will continue to search for a professor with similar interests.

Both scholars said that while they are disappointed that Brown will not join the Harvard faculty, they understand Brown's desire to remain at NIH.

"It's tempting for a recent post-doc to take up a fellowship offer and continue research," Appiah said.

White agreed that NIH may provide a better environment for Brown to further her academic studies.

"She probably feels that she can pursue her research more intensely there," he said.

Brown said Harvard professors, including Afro-American Studies Department Chair Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Psychology De- partment Chair Jerome Kagan, treated her wellduring the recruitment process.

`Gracious, Supportive'

"They've been gracious; they've beensupportive," she said.

Brown attended the University of Massachusettsat Amherst as an undergraduate and went tograduate school at the University of Pittsburgh.In November, she began the John T. and CatherineD. MacArthur Foundation post-doctoral fellowshipon early childhood transition at NIH

`Gracious, Supportive'

"They've been gracious; they've beensupportive," she said.

Brown attended the University of Massachusettsat Amherst as an undergraduate and went tograduate school at the University of Pittsburgh.In November, she began the John T. and CatherineD. MacArthur Foundation post-doctoral fellowshipon early childhood transition at NIH