Rosovsky said in the report, which was based on anecdotal observation, that it was his belief that "there has been a secular decline of professorial civic virtue in FAS."

In the report, Rosovsky raised concerns about faculty teaching obligations and absences from Cambridge. "I do have the impression that, for a significant minority of our faculty, the sum of their efforts outside Harvard is greater than their efforts inside Harvard," Rosovsky wrote.

The section of the report that has drawn the most fire is the former dean's recommendation for establishing reporting systems on faculty members.

In the report, Rosovsky proposed the creation of a data base on faculty members. Under his plan, this would indicate professors' past teaching loads, the number of graduate students they advise, committee assignments and other information. In addition, Rosovsky suggested the creation of a FAS commis- sion to determine what obligations of professorial citizenship should be.

Rosovsky stressed that he did not want to create a "Big Brother" in University Hall or an unnecessary bureaucracy but said he felt some reform was necessary.

These proposals have created some nervousness among faculty members, who say such changes are not warranted.

"We don't want to go into a violent reporting structure. "It's not clear we have a problem," Cellular and Developmental Biology Department chair Walter Gilbert said in an interview last week.

Few Top Scholars

Ajami was being sought to fill the post left vacant when Albertson Professor of Middle Eastern Studies Nadav Safran retired last year.

Keohane said that because there are few top senior scholars working in modern Middle Eastern affairs, the department would not be able to make another offer soon.

But Keohane added that the department is considering bringing in a visiting professor in Middle East politics.

"We are working on that actively," said Keohane. "We want someone teaching in that area because it is important.