Fineberg To Resign as Provost

Harvey V. Fineberg '67 is the third provost in University history, and he may very well be the last.

After Fineberg's departure at the end of June, President-elect Lawrence H. Summers will have to make a series of decisions regarding the office of the provost, created only a decade ago and never concretely defined.

Current University President Neil L. Rudenstine established the position of provost in 1991, and as provost, Fineberg works with Rudenstine to formulate policy on administrative and academic matters affecting the University as a whole.

But both Rudenstine and Fineberg are leaving, and Summers will have to decide whether or not to retain the post, and if so, whom to appoint.

Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Jeremy R. Knowles said the very nature of the position of provost leaves the decision up to the president.

"I think it entirely depends on how President Summers wants to structure his administration," he said. "This is a personal matter for the president to decide what arrangements he most prefers. The provost supports and helps the president, and the president therefore decides how he wants to be supported."

Assistant Provost Sean T. Bufington '91 said he expects there to be a provost under Summers.

"I personally would be surprised if any president of a major university didn't see that need for this kind of position," he said.

Assistant Provost Marsha K. Semuels said that the provost's office performs a unique and valuable function.

"What we do is very important," she said.

Some see the office of the provost as an important assistant to the president, where important tasks can be pursued without distracting the president from his main responsibilities.

The recent merger between Harvard and Radcliffe is an example of an ideal task for a provost, and, some say, were it not for Fineberg, the merger would not have happened.

Possible 'Radcliffes of the Future'--major conceptual issues facing the University--are distance learning and the move to Allston, and are characterized by the need for personal negotiations that can be time consuming.

By handling these negotiations, the provost leaves the president free to concentrate on other duties.

If Summers does decide to appoint a provost, he would have to determine who he would to fill the position.

All three of Harvard's provosts have come from inside Harvard--two have been deans and one a professor at the business school.

But Summers is known for taking people with him from job to job, so it is possible that he could appoint a trusted friend from the Treasury Department or World Bank to serve as provost.

Summers has not yet commented on his plans for the office of provost.