Yesterday, she offered to wager that a new vicepresident will be named within a month.
"I would be willing to bet you five bucks thatthis job will be filled in a month," she said."and you can quote me on that."
Week in Review
The University suddenly announced late Tuesdayafternoon that Green, after less than two years asprovost, will be leaving the centraladministration at the end of the academic year.The move shocked several officials, includingdeans and members of the Board of Overseers.
Green will assume the new John Leverettprofessorship, a position designed to encourageinter-Faculty teaching and cooperation. He willalso resume teaching as Wells Professor ofPolitical Economy.
The University has said in several officialstatements this week that Green views the newposition as an excellent opportunity to continuehis work on interdisciplinary teaching andresearch. But Harvard has consistently refused toexplain why Green is leaving as provost.
Green and President Neil L. Rudenstine failedto return repeated phone calls to their homes andoffices this week. The provost also wouldn'tanswer the door on Tuesday night at his home inLincoln, Mass.
Green called a Crimson reporter at homeWednesday morning promising an interview and aletter, but he never delivered on his promise.Approached as he left his Massachusetts Halloffice late Wednesday afternoon, the provostrefused to comment.
In a letter to The Crimson published Wednesday,Rudenstine praised Green's accomplishments asprovost. He did not explain why Green would beleaving the job, and Corlette said at the timethat the letter would be the University's laststatement on the matter.
Questions about the reasons behind Green'sdeparture remained unanswered yesterday. Over thelast week, University observers have offered anumber of possible explanations for the departure,which was not termed a resignation in Harvard'spress release.
According to one version of events offered toThe Crimson this week, Green, a career academicconsidered by some observers to be a "poor fit"for an administrative job, approached Rudenstineabout leaving in early 1994.
But on Thursday the Boston Globe citinganonymous sources, offered its own version ofevents. The Globe called Green's departure a"resignation" prompted by the provost'sexasperation "with futile efforts to unify theschools and colleges, bring together competingdeans and tame the bureaucracy." The paper did notprovide details of any specific problems insidethe central administration.
The Globe said Green resigned because he "felthe did not have Rudenstine's earnest backing andsupport."
But Corlette moved to discount that reportThursday.
"I am unaware of any disputes, really,"Corlette said. She said Rudenstine's letter to TheCrimson, which praised the provost, should be seenas indication of the president's support.
Some observers have said that Green may havehad trouble fitting into an ill-defined position.Rudenstine recreated the job of provost, vacantfor four decades, when he became president in1991.
Green's job consisted largely of working tounify Harvard's schools. A centralized Universityis one of the president's primary goals for thefuture.
And that is not a job that can be accomplishedin the 21 months Green has spent in office.
"That's tough job," said Linda C. Koonz,executive assistant to the University ofPennsylvania's provost. "It's very hard to bringunity so quickly with schools that are adecentralized as Harvard's."