Alan C. Walker, associate professor of Anthropology and associate professor of Anatomy at the Medical School, last week rejected a probable offer of tenure from Harvard to accept a tenured position at Johns Hopkins University.

Johns Hopkins made a better offer, although Harvard did what it could to match it, Walker said yesterday.

More Attractive

Walker said John Hopkins will allow him to hire three faculty members to work with him. Harvard had made a similar offer, but since the tenure system is less restrictive at Johns Hopkins he will be able to attract better colleagues, he added.

"At Harvard there is a finite limit on the number of tenured positions, which is not the case at Johns Hopkins," Walker said.

This and the fact that junior faculty salaries at Harvard are not competitive with other schools might discourage some of the people he wanted, Walker added.

Johns Hopkins offered his wife a position as research associate and lecturer, and Walker said Johns Hopkins was "better in reasearch equipment, opportunities and laboratories."

An ad hoc committee would have considered tenuring Walker on April 28, Gordon R. Willey, Bowdwitch Professor of Central American and Mexican Archaeology and Ethnology and acting Antropology Department chairman, said yesterday.

Had A Good Chance

Willey, who would have testified before the committee, said Walker's chance for tenure would have been "very good."

In the Anthropology Department, Walker would have replaced William Howells, who retired from his tenured position in 1976, Willey said.

In the meantime, the department will obtain someone on a one-year basis to teach Walker's courses, he added.