Harvard Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs John H. Shattuck may join the growing exodus from Cambridge to President Clinton's team in Washington, D.C.

The Washington Post reported Friday that Shattuck is one of two candidates vying for the "hotly contested" position of assistant secretary of state for human rights.

Yesterday, Shattuck said he has "no sense" of his job prospects with the Clinton administration, and declined to comment on whether he was interested in such a job or had discussed it with the administration.

"I have been offered nothing," Shattuck said in a telephone interview from a San Diego, Cal. conference of the American Council on Education. "I'm certainly very committed to Harvard and it would take something both very attractive and very important to make me leave."

Robert B. Reich, a lecturer in public policy at the Kennedy School of Government, was confirmed by the Senate last week as secretary of labor.

Ropes Professor of Political Economy Lawrence H. Summers has been nominated as undersecretary of the treasury for international affairs.

Professor of Economics Lawrence F. Katz has been named chief economist in the labor department, and Instructor in Economics David M. Cutler is expected to be appointed liason between the Council of Economic Advisors and the newly created National Economic Council.

And Dillon Professor of International Affairs Joseph S. Nye is "95 percent certain" he will accept a position in his field of international relations, but declined to be more specific about the nature of the post. He will return to Harvard after a two-year leave of absence, he said.

"I have definitely been offered the job, but it probably won't be made public for some time," Nye said yesterday. He met with the Cabinet official he will work for last week, he said, and will travel to Washington tomorrow to "work out the fine print."

Summers, who worked at the World Bank, is on the second of two academic years of leave, and further sabbatical time would violate the University's strict two-year limit.

If summers' nomination is confirmed by the Senate, Harvard Provost Jerry R. Green said it "sounds like a case in which [Summers] would probably have to resign." He added that Summers could appeal to the Harvard Corporation for a special extension of his leave.

Summers, in a brief interview last night, said he would not comment on his future plans until after his confirmation hearing.

The Corporation refused last summer to grant the former Weld Professor of Law Derek A. Bell an extension beyond the two-year limit. Bell was taking time off to protest the Law School's failure to hire a Black woman professor.

Shattuck, age 49, came to Harvard in 1984. He met Clinton in the 1960s, when they were both studying in England onfellowships. Shattuck was at Cambridge, Clintonwas at Oxford.

Before he came to Harvard, he was director ofthe Washington office of the American CivilLiberties Union. He has been active in thevolunteer leadership of Amnesty International. Oneof five Harvard vice presidents, he turned down anoffer to become president of American Universityin spring of 1991.

Shattuck's statement about the conditions underwhich he would leave Harvard is a departure fromthe position he took as recently as October, whenhe flatly denied interest in any Clintonadministration job.

In addition, Harvard Management Corporationboard member Robert E. Rubin '60, head of the newNational Economic Council, may have to resign fromthe board which manages Harvard's endowment.

If Clinton raises Rubin's position to aCabinet-level office, as is likely, Rubin willprobably resign from the Harvard ManagementCompany.

Green said he has heard "rumors" about Rubinand Shattuck but knows nothing definite abouteither person's plans.

Susan J. Pharr, professor of government andchair of the government department, said yesterdaythat she expects Nye to return in the spring of1995, following his leave of absence.

In the meantime, she said, the department willcontinue to offer Nye's famous Core Curriculumcourse, Historical Studies A-12, "InternationalConflicts in the Modern World," in his absence.

Pharr refused to say who will teach the class,but said it will be "under very able people."

Pharr said that despite Nye's plans to return,the government department also plans to form asearch committee in the spring to fill a tenuredposition in international relations.

Another prominent Harvard expert in the field,Stanfield Professor of International Peace RobertO. Keohane, is interviewing for positions at twouniversities in North Carolina. Pharr saidyesterday that Keohane, whose wife recently becamepresident of Duke University, will not leave inthe next year