Gordon Professor of Computer Science Barbara Grosz will serve as interim associate dean for affirmative action next year, according to Secretary to the Faculty Council John B. Fox '59.

Grosz will replace the current associate dean, Professor of English Marjorie Garber, who is taking a one-year leave of absence.

"She seems to be the ideal person," Garber said yesterday. "She's deeply committed, highly informed and very energetic."

The appointment was announced during Wednesday's Faculty Council meeting, when members discussed the 1992 Report on Affirmative Action.

"I'm looking forward to working with Jeremy Knowles to make the situation for women and minorities better at Harvard," Grosz said yesterday.

Grosz, who serves on the Faculty Council, is the chair of the committee that drew up the Grosz Report, a study on female students and professors in the sciences at Harvard.

The 1992 Affirmative Action report suggests there are fewer women faculty members and students in the sciences than in other depart- ments.

"She [Grosz] has been working very hard within her department and she's very cognizant of the impediments [there are]," said Garber.

But although Garber said Grosz' inside knowledge of the status of women faculty and concentrators in the sciences will prove helpful next year, Grosz will only be able to make suggestions and recommendations to individual departments.

When asked about the new affirmative action plan, Garber said she would like to see more progress towards increasing the number of women and minorities students and faculty at the University.

"The rate of progress is never as fast as one would like it to be," said Garber, who will reassume the post when she returns from the leave. "There certainly has been some progress, I hope we will see even more.