Committee Chosen For Public Service

The nine-member search committee for the newly-created position of the Assistant Dean of Public Service will contain none of the faculty or community advisors recommended by the Phillips Brooks House Association (PBHA), former PBHA president John B. King '95 said yesterday.

The search committee names were released yesterday by Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett'57.

Former vice president and general counsel of the University Daniel Steiner, currently a lawyer and adjunct lecturer at the Kennedy School, will chair the committee.

Steiner served on a five-person public service subcommittee of the committee that wrote the college structure report.

The other members of the committee are: Jenna B. McNeill '95, cocentral coordinator of HAND; PBH President Vincent Pan '96; Michael Shinagel, master of Quincy House and a member of the Advisory Committee for the President's Public Service Fund; Martha P. Leape, director of the office of career services; Jackie O'Neill, staff director for the offices of the president and provost and former associate vice president for state and community relations; Paul Buttenwieser '60, a member of the PBH Advisory Committee; Robert Hurlbut '59, executive director of the Cambridge Community Foundation and director of volunteer recruitment for the Cambridge Public Schools; and Plummer Professor of Christian Morals Peter J. Gomes, minister of Memorial Church.

The post of assistant dean, which also includes being director of Phillips Brooks House (PBH), was created out of a suggestion contained in September's Report on the Structure of Harvard College, coauthored by Nancy L. Maull and Harry R. Lewis '68.

Late last year, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles announced that the report's two recommendations on public service--creating an assistant dean position and setting up a standing committee on public service--would go into effect.

After Knowles' announcement, the PBHA board of directors recommended in a letter to Jewett and Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles three faculty members who would be willing to serve on the committee.

PBHA recommended Professor of Psychiatry and Medical Humanities Robert Coles '50, Master of Adams House Robert J. Kiely and Bliss Professor of Latin American History John Womack Jr.

PBHA also recommended that Chair of Visual and Environmental Studies Christopher D. Killip and Professor of anthropology David H. Maybury-Lewis be contacted by the College regarding possible positions on the search committee, Pan said last night.

In addition, Chair of the Association Committeefor PBHA Anne Peretz recommended that CityCouncillor Francis H. Duehay' 55 be on thecommittee, King said.

None of the recommendations were followed.

And in contrast to PBHA's suggestion that twoPBHA members be on the committee, only one wasselected.

King said yesterday that members of theorganization are not pleased with the decision,but that they are "trying to make the best of it."

"I hope that they come to the process with anopen mind," King said of the committee members'deliberations. "I hope that the search for theassistant dean is for the best person, not for theperson who will best implement the Maull-Lewisrecommendations."

Those recommendations included condensing thepublic service staff and eliminating the positionsof director of PBH and the assistant director ofpublic service. According to a statement by DeanKnowles late last year, however, there will be nochanges in the current structure before June 1996,and the new assistant dean will then be chargedwith reevaluating the structure.

"They should be willing to give the new personthe room to make some decisions and conduct anindependent evaluation," King said.

The Search

Steiner said yesterday that he does not knowhow long the search will last.

"It will last...until we have a good candidateor candidates to recommend to the dean," Steinersaid. "It's going to take a little while toadvertise, look over the responses we get,evaluate them in some way, get them down to a moremanageable number and check references andrecommendations."

The search could take between three and sixmonths, Jewett estimated yesterday, which meansthat it could last until after Lewis, the new deanof the College, takes office on July 1.

No matter when the search ends, however, Jewettsaid he and Lewis will be certain to talk over thedecision before it is made.

Although Jewett said the job description is notin any way written to favor an internal candidate,he said he would like to see someone with "someknowledge of the [Harvard] community, ifpossible."

The committee's procedures will not be setuntil the group meets next week, Steiner said.After its members solidify the job description anddecide where to advertise the position, they willpublicize "right away," Steiner said.

There is no way of knowing how many people willapply for the post, Steiner added, although hespeculated that the number could be "a couple ofhundred."

He added that he is glad students are on thesearch committee.

"We have to have students participating in thisno matter what, because it affects an importantarea of many students' lives," Steiner said.

One of the two students on the committee--alsoone of those contacted for the Maull-Lewisreport--said she strongly agrees.

"I definitely think it's a good thing that thiscommittee has students on it," McNeill saidyesterday.

"I think our role will be to ensure as much aspossible that the new assistant dean will besomeone the students as well as the administrationcan count on," she said

In addition, Chair of the Association Committeefor PBHA Anne Peretz recommended that CityCouncillor Francis H. Duehay' 55 be on thecommittee, King said.

None of the recommendations were followed.

And in contrast to PBHA's suggestion that twoPBHA members be on the committee, only one wasselected.

King said yesterday that members of theorganization are not pleased with the decision,but that they are "trying to make the best of it."

"I hope that they come to the process with anopen mind," King said of the committee members'deliberations. "I hope that the search for theassistant dean is for the best person, not for theperson who will best implement the Maull-Lewisrecommendations."

Those recommendations included condensing thepublic service staff and eliminating the positionsof director of PBH and the assistant director ofpublic service. According to a statement by DeanKnowles late last year, however, there will be nochanges in the current structure before June 1996,and the new assistant dean will then be chargedwith reevaluating the structure.

"They should be willing to give the new personthe room to make some decisions and conduct anindependent evaluation," King said.

The Search

Steiner said yesterday that he does not knowhow long the search will last.

"It will last...until we have a good candidateor candidates to recommend to the dean," Steinersaid. "It's going to take a little while toadvertise, look over the responses we get,evaluate them in some way, get them down to a moremanageable number and check references andrecommendations."

The search could take between three and sixmonths, Jewett estimated yesterday, which meansthat it could last until after Lewis, the new deanof the College, takes office on July 1.

No matter when the search ends, however, Jewettsaid he and Lewis will be certain to talk over thedecision before it is made.

Although Jewett said the job description is notin any way written to favor an internal candidate,he said he would like to see someone with "someknowledge of the [Harvard] community, ifpossible."

The committee's procedures will not be setuntil the group meets next week, Steiner said.After its members solidify the job description anddecide where to advertise the position, they willpublicize "right away," Steiner said.

There is no way of knowing how many people willapply for the post, Steiner added, although hespeculated that the number could be "a couple ofhundred."

He added that he is glad students are on thesearch committee.

"We have to have students participating in thisno matter what, because it affects an importantarea of many students' lives," Steiner said.

One of the two students on the committee--alsoone of those contacted for the Maull-Lewisreport--said she strongly agrees.

"I definitely think it's a good thing that thiscommittee has students on it," McNeill saidyesterday.

"I think our role will be to ensure as much aspossible that the new assistant dean will besomeone the students as well as the administrationcan count on," she said