Instead, the appearance of chaos seems to have draped Massachusetts Hall. The central administration, and Rudenstine specifically, have been accused by numerous groups of being unable to make quick, effective, unambiguous decisions.

The result in recent weeks has been a president who seemed increasingly tired, dejected and short-tempered. Rudenstine also appeared to have lost significant weight since his appointment three springs ago.

Rudenstine's vision for Harvard originally revolved around providing more centralization to an extremely decentralized University. The trick was to somehow convince Harvard's various graduate schools--its proverbial "tubs"--to share space and funds more often.

In October 1991, the president called for the creation of the office of the provost during his first official address to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.

"We have very little ability to plan centrally on an academic basis," Rudenstine said at the time. "The president is the only University-wide academic officer. Just one. Just me."

Rudenstine had served as provost at Princeton, and he saw the position as serving as both a right-hand man and a mediator between the schools.

At the time, critics denounced the president for adding to the University's bureaucracy.

Rudenstine countered that the provost would be a "cloned president," responsible for academic planning. He said individual deans would still report directly to him, not to the provost.

But even the decision to resurrect the position was plagued with problems. Rudenstine handpicked Wells Professor of Political Economy Jerry R. Green to carry out his vision.

This past April, though, Green mysteriously and without warning announced he would leave the central administration to return to a position in the Faculty. The provost had reportedly quarreled with Rudenstine over various issues, including the president's management style.

Green's abrupt departure left a third hole in Rudenstine's administration. The president had been involved for months in searching for replacements for John R. Shattuck, the departed vice president for government, community and public affairs, and Robert H. Scott, former vice president for finance.

Rudenstine tends to labor over each appointment, according to sources. His searches are slow and deliberate, and his choices often come after months of contemplation.

The search for new Vice President for Finance Allan Procter '72 took more than a year. The search for Rowe lasted nearly two.

As of last week, the post of dean of the Kennedy School was still held by Carnesale, six months after he was appointed provost. The unintended result of Rudenstine's methodical and unhurried nature is that Carnesale now holds three posts--dean, provost and acting president.

But by the beginning of this October, the Kennedy School deanship was the only position needing a replacement. Rudenstine's ship seemed back on course--until it collided with Harvard's illustrious and stubborn faculty.