Rudenstine Appoints Jerry Green Provost

Wells Professor of Political Economy Jerry Richard Green was officially named University provost by President Neil L. Rudenstine at a press conference yesterday afternoon.

Rudenstine made the appointment early last week, after sifting through at least 40 candidates since late October. Green, 45, formally takes office July 1 and will be the University's first provost in 40 years.

As provost, Green will become the second-highest official at Harvard and the only University-wide academic officer besides Rudenstine. He will serve as Rudenstine's closest advisor and will be instrumental in both the current academic planning process and the ensuing multi-billion dollar fund drive.

Green will also help lead and effort to engender Cooperation among the University's ten faculties, an essential feature in the overall academic planning scheme.

The provost will be key in the administration's drive to cut costs in the face of increasing budget deficits, and Rudenstine has said he wants the provost to work with Harvard's library and computer systems. Beyond these concerns, Green himself will shape the size and scope of the provost's responsibilities.

"I couldn't be more pleased," Rudenstine said of the appointment yesterday. "I feel very privileged that he's willing to take on this job."

Rudenstine called Green "a fine scholar" and "an expe- -rienced administrator" who has long beencommitted to serving the University.

An economic theorist, Green arrived at Harvardas an assistant professor in 1970 and has beenhere ever since. He was promoted to associateprofessor in 1973 and accepted a tenured post in1978 at the age of 32.

Green served as chair of the economicsdepartment from 1984 to 1987 and has served oncommittees on several different faculties.

"He's proven himself able to work with a widenumber of people in different schools, which isvery important," Rudenstine said. "I think thatJerry fits the job in a way that is really quiteextraordinary."

And Green said yesterday the most compellingreason to take the job was, in fact, that the jobfit him.

"I think the most important thing to me was Ihave a substantive interest in the areas that havebeen targeted as important areas [forinter-faculty cooperation]," Green said in aninterview after the press conference.

"It's just fortuitous for me that the thingsthat were high on the list [of provostresponsibilities] were just what I wanted to do,"Green said.

Those high-priority interdisciplinary effortsinclude health policy, ethics and the environment,all areas in which Green has shown a keeninterest.

In his opening statement, Green specificallysaid that he is looking forward "with a greatsense of excitement" to fostering moreinter-faculty cooperation. As for the largerplanning effort, Green said, "It's alreadyunderway, and I'm going to join in."

For now, Green's first priority is to becomemore fully acquainted with all the different partsof the University.

"It's a very large university, and even thoughI've been involved in a number of the faculties,there are some faculties that I don't know verywell," Green said.

Although he is still teaching this semester,Green will try to "hit the ground running" byworking as much as he can in the coming monthswith Rudenstine, the vice presidents and thecouncil of deans.

Green was the youngest candidate in a pool of12 scholars said to be under consideration duringan intermediate stage of the search.

The other top contender for the post, WhiteheadProfessor of Political Philosophy Dennis F.Thompson, could not be reached for comment earlierthis week.

Rudenstine, who once served as provost atPrinceton, announced his intention to create thepost shortly after taking office last summer. Hebegan the search this fall after consulting widelywith faculty, administrators and students

An economic theorist, Green arrived at Harvardas an assistant professor in 1970 and has beenhere ever since. He was promoted to associateprofessor in 1973 and accepted a tenured post in1978 at the age of 32.

Green served as chair of the economicsdepartment from 1984 to 1987 and has served oncommittees on several different faculties.

"He's proven himself able to work with a widenumber of people in different schools, which isvery important," Rudenstine said. "I think thatJerry fits the job in a way that is really quiteextraordinary."

And Green said yesterday the most compellingreason to take the job was, in fact, that the jobfit him.

"I think the most important thing to me was Ihave a substantive interest in the areas that havebeen targeted as important areas [forinter-faculty cooperation]," Green said in aninterview after the press conference.

"It's just fortuitous for me that the thingsthat were high on the list [of provostresponsibilities] were just what I wanted to do,"Green said.

Those high-priority interdisciplinary effortsinclude health policy, ethics and the environment,all areas in which Green has shown a keeninterest.

In his opening statement, Green specificallysaid that he is looking forward "with a greatsense of excitement" to fostering moreinter-faculty cooperation. As for the largerplanning effort, Green said, "It's alreadyunderway, and I'm going to join in."

For now, Green's first priority is to becomemore fully acquainted with all the different partsof the University.

"It's a very large university, and even thoughI've been involved in a number of the faculties,there are some faculties that I don't know verywell," Green said.

Although he is still teaching this semester,Green will try to "hit the ground running" byworking as much as he can in the coming monthswith Rudenstine, the vice presidents and thecouncil of deans.

Green was the youngest candidate in a pool of12 scholars said to be under consideration duringan intermediate stage of the search.

The other top contender for the post, WhiteheadProfessor of Political Philosophy Dennis F.Thompson, could not be reached for comment earlierthis week.

Rudenstine, who once served as provost atPrinceton, announced his intention to create thepost shortly after taking office last summer. Hebegan the search this fall after consulting widelywith faculty, administrators and students