Kicked Upstairs

But the "right one" is about to be kicked upstairs and professors now fear that the gains of the past three years will be lost.

Ramsey Professor of Political Economy Richard J. Zeckhauser says that although the school is recovering from its period of turmoil, it's not ready to have Carnesale leave.

"It's job that's not completed. I would have loved to have Dean Carnesale stay. We're letting him get away too early," Zeckhauser says. "I would have liked for them to give us Dean Carnesale for another three years."

Many say the best thing a new dean could do would be to continue Carnesale's progress, with his own input as provost aiding the process.

"I don't believe we need any sort of major change in direction," says Pratt Public Service Professor Lewis M. Branscomb. "We need to sort of proceed straight ahead."

One part of the continuation would be to keep up Carnesale's effort to integrate the Kennedy School into the rest of the University.

"I would like to see the Kennedy School be much more involved in the rest of the University," Zeckhauser says. "I hope that's priority of the next dean."

But the most important things for the new dean to have according to faculty and carnesale himself, is faith in the school and a firm a vision for its future.

"The single most important thing is that it be someone who believes strongly in the mission of the Kennedy School and who has a vision for how to accomplish that mission," Carnesale says. "Secondly, it must be someone who commands the respect of the Kennedy School community."

President Neil L. Rudenstine has already begun the search for Carnesale's replacement. The president says he is looking for "someone just like Al Carnesale, of either gender."

Given Rudenstine's penchant for long searches--18 months for the new vice president for government, community and public affairs, for instance--it is unclear when the leader will arrive to give new direction to the Kennedy School.

But until he or she does, the Kennedy School is in transition for the fourth time in six years, with faculty students and staff on the edge of their seats to see where their school will go next.