David M. Rosen, Harvard's chief spokesman and guardian of the University's public image, will leave Harvard at the end of this year to take a similar post at the University of Chicago.

Rosen, who in the spring was appointed associate vice president for news and public relations, cited a salary raise and increased opportunity to help formulate policy as prominent motivations for leaving Harvard after seven years of work as a consultant, lobbyist, and media relations head.

"They made me an offer I couldn't refuse, so I didn't," he said. Rosen said he turned down an earlier offer from Chicago due to personal reasons and poor timing, and that the school "upped the ante" by promising more policy-making authority.

"He's got a terrific track record," explained Rosen's new supervisor, Chicago Vice President for Community Affairs Jonathan Kleinbard. "We think David Rosen is a person who has a great understanding of what a private educational institution is about."

Kleinbard said Rosen--who holds an M.S. in journalism and B.A. in government and history from Boston University--emerged as "obviously the best candidate" after year-long search. He added that Rosen "will certainly play a key role in advising" as the university's Associate Vice President for Public Affairs.

Rosen's principal task, however, will be to supervise publication of the university's official newspaper, which comes due once every two weeks, and to provide information to the news media. Rosen currently is executive editor of the Gazette, Harvard's weekly newspaper.

Rosen's tenure here saw a marked increase in the number of university publications both internal and external, and he worked with Vice President for Government and Public Affairs John Shattuck to improve the availability of information to, and upgrade Harvard's image with, the outside community, Shattuck said.

Shattuck is chairing the search committee to replace Rosen. The committee will begin advertising the position in the next week in major newspapers. Shattuck said he anticipates a replacement will be installed as soon as Rosen leaves.

The other search committee members are: Curator of the Nieman Fellowships Howard Simons, Kennedy School Executive Dean Hale Champion, Director of the Institute of Politics Jonathan Moore, Dean of the Graduate School of Education Patricia A. Graham, and Associate Vice President for State and Community Affairs Jacqueline O'Neill.