Robin Schmidt is the new vice president for government and community affairs, filling a position vacated when Charles U. Daly resigned in June.

Schmidt, who has been assistant vice president for public affairs for the past five years, will be in charge of Harvard's relations with the federal, state and city government and the Harvard news office.

There were about 30 serious applicants for the job, Daniel Steiner '54, general counsel to the University and coordinator of the search for a new vice president, said yesterday.

Of the 30 applicants, ten or 12 were from outside the University, he said, adding that between five and 15 of the applicants were women.

President Bok made the final decision, and picked Schmidt because he has a lot of strengths, Steiner said. Bok is out of the country and could not be reached for comment.

Steiner also said that it was advantageous to Harvard to fill open positions from within the University administration because "it's much more satisfying to know that you can be rewarded for good work. It makes the institution a more favorable place to work."

Schmidt says he does not anticipate making any major policy changes in administration, although he says he looks forward to starting new projects to succeed the Kennedy School and Mission Hill building projects. Schmidt would not offer details on these projects, however, because he said it is too early for him to speculate.

After graduating from the University of California at Santa Barbara in 1950, Schmidt worked for several newspapers.

Schmidt is one of the four vice presidents in the University--all of which are appointed by President Bok. The position is one of the most powerful at Harvard, with each vice president supervising and administering University policy in his area of expertise.