For General Counsel, Look at Many Factors

The appointment of Margaret H. Marshall to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court by Governor William F. Weld '66 leaves vacant the position of Harvard vice president and general counsel. The University has commenced a search for candidates to fill the spot, and the process might be completed within the next four months.

Among the attributes we would like to see in the new general counsel is accessibility. Marshall, while excellent in her position, didn't spend much time talking with students. This is a necessary quality for the University's chief attorney because the campus needs to be clearly informed about the administration's legal intentions.

Additionally, President Neil L. Rudenstine should aggressively recruit minority candidates. Although there is gender balance in the central administration, there is a conspicuous lack of non-whites. In fact, of Rudenstine's 14 appointments to the positions of vice president, provost or dean, only one has been a minority.

Marshall also brought a sense of social justice to the job of general counsel, having spent years prior as an anti-apartheid activist. We hope that Rudenstine will choose an equally socially concerned general counsel.