Huidekoper Is Appointed New Finance VP

Elizabeth C. "Beppie" Huidekoper has been named the University's new vice president for finance, replacing Allen J. Proctor '74, who officially stepped down from his post on Monday.

Yesterday's announcement from the Harvard News Office came just three weeks after Proctor announced his resignation, a short search in contrast to the 18-month effort required to hire Proctor.

The University planned to keep Proctor on as a special adviser to President Neil L. Rudenstine until the end of the year in order to ease the transition to a new vice president, according to Provost Albert Carnesale.

Huidekoper will assume the job on May 6.

Harvard did not conduct a full search for a new vice president but rather looked to the pool of applicants for the position from the previous search augmented with people who became available since then, administrators said.

"One reason why we were just able to expand the last search was because it was so extensive, so thorough and we had such an excellent pool of applicants at the end," Rudenstine said in an interview yesterday. "She was the clear first choice."

While Rudenstine said Harvard had been interested in Huidekoper when the job was open two years ago, she did not put herself up as a candidate, she said, because she was interested in taking time off to travel.

Huidekoper worked for Harvard for 14 years before leaving in 1994. During that time she served as director of the Budget Office and as acting vice president for finance during the last search.

Huidekoper said she did not envision herself coming back to Harvard when she left almost a year ago. But, she added, she found during her time away that Harvard was the place where she most wanted to be.

"It was nice to be away and I was not expecting to come back. I had a wonderful opportunity to travel, read and take courses," she said.

Although Huidekoper said she looked at other jobs during her absence, she said she realized increasingly through this search how much she liked working at Harvard.

She said she is looking forward to the job because she will be able to work in a large, decentralized environment where she will be able to try to build consensus.

Proctor, too, expressed interest in working in a decentralized administrative structure when he was hired 18 months ago. But he attributed his resignation last month to a distaste for the consensus-building among academic, administrative, financial and legal employees the job requires.

"Some people don't like this kind of environment," Huidekoper said. "I do."

Huidekoper said her immediate plans for the job are to talk to as many people as possible to gain a full understanding of what has happened here since she left.

"I think I have a pretty good understanding of the school in general but don't know as well what has happened in the last year," she said.

Huidekoper said she is impressed with the reforms Proctor made in his term here and will be interested in continuing many of the programs he started.

"I think Allen began a lot of important things," she said. "I want to pick up those things and continue them."

Before coming to Harvard in 1981, Huidekoper served as deputy director of the Council for Northeast Economic Action, a non-profit corporation involved in economic development and research projects in New England. Before that she worked as a manager in the City of Boston's budget office.

Rudenstine and Carnesale both said they are looking forward to working with Huidekoper again.

"I'm delighted at the prospect of working with her again," Carnesale said. "She's a great asset to the University and I'm pleased to see her come back home.

"Some people don't like this kind of environment," Huidekoper said. "I do."

Huidekoper said her immediate plans for the job are to talk to as many people as possible to gain a full understanding of what has happened here since she left.

"I think I have a pretty good understanding of the school in general but don't know as well what has happened in the last year," she said.

Huidekoper said she is impressed with the reforms Proctor made in his term here and will be interested in continuing many of the programs he started.

"I think Allen began a lot of important things," she said. "I want to pick up those things and continue them."

Before coming to Harvard in 1981, Huidekoper served as deputy director of the Council for Northeast Economic Action, a non-profit corporation involved in economic development and research projects in New England. Before that she worked as a manager in the City of Boston's budget office.

Rudenstine and Carnesale both said they are looking forward to working with Huidekoper again.

"I'm delighted at the prospect of working with her again," Carnesale said. "She's a great asset to the University and I'm pleased to see her come back home.