Bok ended his tenure at Harvard far lesswilling to hold open discussions with angrystudents, these observers say. And in some senses,he left the University even more decentralizedthan he found it.
Many of his plans were thwarted by structuralblockades, his colleagues say. Rudenstine mustbypass these same blockades if he is to followthrough on his first-year rhetoric.
First, as at any college, there is constantstudent body turnover. Student anger overpolitical issues continually renews itself in acycle at could challenge the patience of anyadministrator.
Second, some of Harvard's deans are quitesatisfied with the "every tub on its own bottom"system, which allows them a great deal of freedomto set their own goals and agendas.
The success of some schools' fundraisingefforts is a strong incentive for the deans ofthose schools to keep their distance from thecentral administration.
Moving Ahead
Some circumstances do work in the newpresident's favor. In fact, he seems to have madeprogress in several areas.
Rudenstine has already made several key deanappointments--at the Kennedy School of Goverment,the Graduate School of Design and the GraduateSchool of Education. These appointments willlikely help him in convincing schools to cooperatewith his plans.
He has also appointed the University's firstprovost since 1953. In this post, Wells Professorof Political Economy Jerry R. Green may be able tohelp Rudenstine make cooperation among the schoolslook financially acceptable to the deans,especially those of the already prosperousprofessional schools.
Rudenstine has already started campaigning hardamong alumni. His travel intinerary for the yearreads like a frequent flyer's dream: New York,Washington D.C., Miami, Palm Beach, Sarasota,Chicago, Philadelphia, Seattle, San Francisco andLos Angeles.
He appears to be working hard to win overdonors from across a wide spectrum.
During the last two decades, opportunities forintra-University cooperation seem to havedeveloped in many fields, including economicpolicy, public education and health care.Rudenstine has already begun to capitalize on suchopportunities, creating a University-wideCommittee on the Environment.
A lot will depend, ultimately, on the strengthof Rudenstine's own convictions. He says thatthough he has faced some institutional obstaclesin his early attempts to pull the Universitytogether, he has nonetheless been able to get hismessage across.
"I really think that the institution has beentremendously resilient and open and it has met allof my expectations," he says. "It has given me thelatitude to say what I wanted to say."
As of yet, no one has become disenchanted withRudenstine, as far as he knows.
People's anger about particular situations hasnot turned against him, he says. "Maybe withinfour or five years, it will get personal...Theyhaven't come after me yet."
Ira E. Stoll contributed to the reporting ofthis article.