Carnesale Fields Questions at Faculty Club Press Conference

Joe Wrinn:

Before I introduce our acting president, Al Carnesale, I just want to make it clear that you have gotten two statements, one from the Corporation, one from Dean Tosteson of Harvard Medical School. Those in part relate to the medical condition of President Rudenstine. The acting president will be here making short comments and taking questions. He's not here today to talk about the medical condition of President Rudenstine. We've told you what we know today.

And now let me introduce to you the acting president, Al Carnesale.

Albert Carnesale:

Thank you. Let me begin by reading the operational part of the announcement from the Harvard Corporation:

"On the insistence of his doctors, Harvard University President Neil Rudenstine has begun a medical leave of absence. He has suffered from severe fatigue and exhaustion. Diagnostic studies are in progress. In his absence, the provost of the University, Albert Carnesale will serve as acting president."

Now let me also read the statement by the Dean of Harvard Medical School, Daniel Tosteson, who has agreed to act as the medical spokesman for President Rudenstine:

"I am in close and regular contact with the president, his personal physicians and their medical consultants. He is suffering from severe fatigue and exhaustion of unknown origin. Diagnostic studies on an outpatient basis are in progress.

"When results of these studies are available a more certain prognosis will be possible. It is likely that the president will be on leave for a matter of weeks or longer. When further information is available, I will make it known to the University community."

Now let me add a few personal things. President Rudenstine is resting at home. I have seen him daily for the last several days and been with him and Mrs. Rudenstine. He had meetings yesterday, to manage this transition with the vice-presidents of the University and deans of the university.

I will certainly be consulting with him and seeking his advice and wisdom in this interim period while I'm serving as acting president. It was simply impossible for him to get the rest and undergo the diagnostic tests that were needed while maintaining the schedule of president of the University and his doctors insisted that he do that, and it was with great reluctance that he complied.

President Rudenstine has been president for almost three and a half years. I've had the privilege of working with him very closely as dean and provost. We know each other well. We work well together. This University is 358 years old and it will do well in this interim period. We'll keep the ship on course and wait for the captain to return. And with that I'll try to answer your questions.

Q. [Did the president's illness strike suddenly?]

A. Well, I'm not a physician and to that extent I can't describe that. But I think it's rare that exhaustion and fatigue happen instantaneously. So in that sense it's not a matter of one day, but I can't give a better answer.

Q. Did you see signs of this [fatigue] over a period of time?

A. I did not see signs of this, but it is true that in retrospect when I was informed of his decision, then you realized that, yes, he does work awfully, awfully hard, and it's hard to imagine anyone maintaining those hours.

Q. When was the decision made that you would become acting president?

A. That decision, of course, was made by the Harvard Corporation and it was officially made, of course, in terms of the announcement today, effective today. But they came to that decision, I guess yesterday.

Q. Can you talk a little bit about the line of succession? Who's going to be the provost now, and who's going to run the Kennedy School?

A. No, I can't tell you the line of succession, but I know the Speaker of the House is in there some place. What I can tell you is that there is a search going on now for a new dean of the Kennedy School and that search will continue. I've been intimately involved with that with President Rudenstine....

With regard to the provost position, I would expect to be looking for some interim help with those responsibilities.

Q. What about the future of the fundraising drive and will it be continued?

A. Oh, certainly. I've been involved in the Harvard University Campaign as dean of the Kennedy School and as provost. So I will certainly continue to do that....

Q. When was it first brought to the attention of the authorities that there was a problem?

A. This was first brought to my attention Thanksgiving Eve, as his decision, that he was going to take the advice of his doctors.

Q. Where are the diagnostic tests being performed?

I don't know, but they're on an outpatient basis. So, he's at home. I will not pretend to be answering medical questions, but when I say I don't know, I want you to know that I mean that literally....

Q. When you were made provost, did you have any inkling that something like this could occur?

A. No.

Q. How will President Rudenstine's leave affect the decision that was to be made on the ROTC relationship with Harvard?

A. Well, I don't think it will. There's going to be a discussion by the faculty of that issue which is already scheduled, and my expectation is that the discussion will take place.

Q. Did the president have any history of illness?

A. I don't know.

Q. Has HIV been ruled out as a cause of this?

A. I think "of unknown origins" means of unknown origins. I think if they knew what it was, I believe they would say what it was.

'Of unknown origins' is to be taken literally. It was not a casually selected term....

Q. Do you know if the president ever suffered from a similar medical condition?

A. I don't know.

Q. Could give us some idea of how many hours a week he worked? Was he traveling all the time

A. I don't think one can simply attribute things like that to how many hours does it take. It's the intensity with which you work as well as the number of hours, and of course, I only see him during the working day, and most of us when we go home at night bring some work with us, and so I can't give you a complete picture because I don't think you can judge it by just seeing what somebody does in the working day. I can tell you it's quite scheduled.

Q. Has the President canceled his planned trip to Latin America?

A. I don't think any action like that has been taken yet.

Q. Is the Harvard presidency a job too big for an individual?

A. No, no. I think it's a matter of the intensity with which he worked and the challenges he faced more than the job being too hard for any individual. But it's a hard job, and why don't you ask me in a couple weeks.

Q. How would you characterize the intensity you've been talking about?

A. I don't know that I would characterize it. It's caring a great deal about the institutions and everything that one does for it, taking quite seriously each decision, trying to maintain the contacts and communications with the individuals. Anybody that knows President Rudenstine or has worked with him, the first thing they'll tell you is how this person cared about you as an individual....

Q. Can you characterize how bad [the president's fatigue is]?

A. First of all, there are precedents where presidents have been on leave of absence before. As recently as 1987, I guess, when Derek Bok took a sabbatical leave and Professor Henry Rosovsky, dean of arts and sciences, was acting president during that period.

Secondly, with the provost as we now have it, there's a bit more continuity even than that. I mean, realize that as provost I participate in appointment meetings; I participate in discussions of the Corporation. I'm active in the Campaign. I'm active in the administrative part of it, so I don't think it's chaotic. We will miss his leadership for this period, and look forward to having him back. But I think this is a pretty large ship that will stay well on course.

Q. What's he doing at home? You said you had seen him every day. Is he bed-ridden? Is he hooked up to any machines?

A. No, he's not bed-ridden and he's not hooked up to anything. What he is tired. As a layman, non-physician, I can tell you in no uncertain terms, he was tired.

Q. How will this affect the debate about the [changes] in the faculty pensions?

A. I presume not at all. That's a process that is going on and will continue.

Q. Will you lead the faculty meetings where the issue will continue to be discussed?

A. Oh, yes, of course. We will certainly continue to discuss that. The expectations here and everything that's indicated is that I will perform the responsibilities of the office of the president. This is not a waiting period, to wait to see what happens. We will continue on course and do those things that need to be or ought to be done.

Q. Provost Carnesale, when you said earlier that you're looking for interim help for the provost job, does that mean that you are going to appoint an acting provost as well?

A. Well, that's not the only way to do it. I don't think you need to appoint an acting provost. There are several other possibilities. I mean you can imagine getting faculty members to spend part of their time to help with this. I don't know quite what the titles would be, but the thing is certainly to get help with those jobs.

Q. Do you have any one in mind?

A. No, not yet.

Q. Will the president be available for consultation? Will you be talking with him on a regular basis?

A. I expect to be talking with him. The frequency of our conversation will be determined more by his physicians than by him or by me, but any opportunity I have to access that experience, advice and wisdom is certainly something I will do, and I expect to be seeing him more this week.

Q. Who is his physician?

A. His medical spokesmen is Dr. Daniel Tosteson who is--

Q. I asked who was his physician?

A. Medical questions should be directed to Dr. Daniel Tosteson.

Q. Were you surprised when he told you?

A. Yes.

Q. Did he just tell you that he was going to do this, or did he ask for your consultation at all?

A. It was a mixture of the two. He informed me of what his strong preference was, and really in large measure, I shouldn't say his strong preference. It's as close as one comes to an order from his physicians. You will notice the wording, "insistence," not simply advice nor suggestions, but insistence of his physician.

Q. Is he at home resting right now?

A. I don't know.

Q. Did you hear the first word from Neil himself or from someone else?

A. I heard the first word from Neil Rudenstine himself.

Q. Can you describe the things that are on the plate in the coming weeks?

A. Well, to give you one example, tomorrow I have a meeting of the Ivy League presidents. Tomorrow. So that's one. There is the Tanner lectures this week that will be taking place, and this weekend, we will be inaugurating a new center for Latin American studies at the University. On Sunday, there's a meeting of the Board of Overseers.

Is that enough?

Q. If you had to guess how long you're going to be acting president, are we talking days, weeks, months?

A. Well, I would accept the wording from Dean Tosteson at this point, which is "weeks or more.

Q. Did he just tell you that he was going to do this, or did he ask for your consultation at all?

A. It was a mixture of the two. He informed me of what his strong preference was, and really in large measure, I shouldn't say his strong preference. It's as close as one comes to an order from his physicians. You will notice the wording, "insistence," not simply advice nor suggestions, but insistence of his physician.

Q. Is he at home resting right now?

A. I don't know.

Q. Did you hear the first word from Neil himself or from someone else?

A. I heard the first word from Neil Rudenstine himself.

Q. Can you describe the things that are on the plate in the coming weeks?

A. Well, to give you one example, tomorrow I have a meeting of the Ivy League presidents. Tomorrow. So that's one. There is the Tanner lectures this week that will be taking place, and this weekend, we will be inaugurating a new center for Latin American studies at the University. On Sunday, there's a meeting of the Board of Overseers.

Is that enough?

Q. If you had to guess how long you're going to be acting president, are we talking days, weeks, months?

A. Well, I would accept the wording from Dean Tosteson at this point, which is "weeks or more.