Rudenstine Will Lobby in D.C.

This weekend, Harvard releases another installment of its version of a famous movie: Mr. Rudenstine Goes to Washington.

President Neil L. Rudenstine is heading to the nation's capital for the semi-annual meeting of the Association of American University Presidents.

The president is using the opportunity as a chance to discuss the educational funding issues presently being considered by the Congress, he said in and interview yesterday.

Rudenstine has been voicing concern for months over possible cuts to education funding that may be inflicted by the Republican Congress. Yesterday, he said that undergraduate funding now looked a little safer, but emphasized that graduate funding was still very much under threat.

"There have been more discussions in Washington about shifting the [burden of costs] from undergraduates to graduate students," the president said. "It's not very good news for graduate students, since very good news for graduate students, since very few of them have parental assistance.

Rudenstine said that he had been making preparation for the weekend, including a meeting with MIT President Charles M. Vest.

"I've been working on the telephone with about 10 other university presidents to prepare for this session and have written to quite a few," Rudenstine said.

In addition to the actual meeting, Rudenstine said he is planning to meet with several members of Congress, though the meetings are not yet fully scheduled. The conference itself will include one large meeting on the Hill to make the group's presence felt, Rudenstine said.

Although the University sends mailings to all members of Congress, it's important to sit down with them so the University's issues do not get lost in the massive amounts of mail, Rudenstine said.

Gina Grant

Rudenstine had little to say about one of the biggest stories to rock the University during his tenure.

Rudenstine said that he had not been involved at all in the decision to rescind the early admission of Gina Grant, the Cambridge Ringe and Latin School student who killed her mother in 1990.

But echoing previous statements made by Provost Albert Carnesale, Rudenstine said he had perfect faith in the process.

"By long standing practice, the president does not get involved in admissions decisions," Rudenstine said. "I have full confidence that what ever has been done was done right and has been done in a thoughtful way and in a timely way."

Rudenstine did not criticize the conduct of the anonymous faculty members who leaked confidential information to the press about Grant's application.

"I don't know how or if that occurred," Rudenstine said. "I don't mean to doubt the word of the press, but I do not know what happened."

The president said that if the alleged leaks did indeed occur, "it would be an unfortunate incident, but I think that I do not know what happened."

Rudenstine also defended the official statement from the Harvard News Office as "appropriate."

That statement confirmed that a Faculty of Artsand Sciences committee had "voted to rescind anoffer of admission to the College made under theearly action program." The statement neither namednor made more specific references to Grant.

Other Business

In discussing other University issues, thepresident praised the work of the FacultyCommittee on Benefits.

That committee submitted a report last monthcalling on the University to restore reductions inbenefits that it made with limited facultyconsultation last year. "As I read [the report],it was a very thoughtful and excellently donereport that clearly had a lot of research behindit and a lot of analysis," Rudenstine said.

Rudenstine added that the Corporation, theUniversity's most powerful governing board, isconsidering the committee's recommendations.

"They [the Corporation] are aware of the factthat people want a reply and that it ought to comeforward in a timely way, but I think they alsofeel that the reply would be better if it were awell-thought-out reply than if it were not," saidRudenstine, who sits on the seven-member board.

The president also said that he is very happywith his return to active office from athree-months medical leave. Rudenstine said thathe has been able to remain relaxed since hismedical leave which he now refers to as avacation. According to the president, he hasrealized the value of vacations "20 years toolate" and now has only four or five of his nightsoccupied every week, compared with five to sevenbefore his leave.

Rudenstine said that the current issue takingup most of his time is the appointment of thisyear's tenured professors from school's across theUniversity, all of which he has the final say on.In the last three weeks, Rudenstine said he hasgone through about a dozen arduous meetings withan ad hoc committee to consider each candidatethat has been recommended for tenure

That statement confirmed that a Faculty of Artsand Sciences committee had "voted to rescind anoffer of admission to the College made under theearly action program." The statement neither namednor made more specific references to Grant.

Other Business

In discussing other University issues, thepresident praised the work of the FacultyCommittee on Benefits.

That committee submitted a report last monthcalling on the University to restore reductions inbenefits that it made with limited facultyconsultation last year. "As I read [the report],it was a very thoughtful and excellently donereport that clearly had a lot of research behindit and a lot of analysis," Rudenstine said.

Rudenstine added that the Corporation, theUniversity's most powerful governing board, isconsidering the committee's recommendations.

"They [the Corporation] are aware of the factthat people want a reply and that it ought to comeforward in a timely way, but I think they alsofeel that the reply would be better if it were awell-thought-out reply than if it were not," saidRudenstine, who sits on the seven-member board.

The president also said that he is very happywith his return to active office from athree-months medical leave. Rudenstine said thathe has been able to remain relaxed since hismedical leave which he now refers to as avacation. According to the president, he hasrealized the value of vacations "20 years toolate" and now has only four or five of his nightsoccupied every week, compared with five to sevenbefore his leave.

Rudenstine said that the current issue takingup most of his time is the appointment of thisyear's tenured professors from school's across theUniversity, all of which he has the final say on.In the last three weeks, Rudenstine said he hasgone through about a dozen arduous meetings withan ad hoc committee to consider each candidatethat has been recommended for tenure