The resignation of Vice President for Finance Allen J. Proctor'74 is just the latest change in what have been three turbulent years for that post.

Proctor's replacement will be the fourth person to occupy that position since President Neil L. Rudenstine took office five years ago.

Proctor said he is leaving the post because the massively decentralized Harvard bureaucracy made the job "no fun." He was appointed less than 18 months ago after Harvard conducted a search to fill the post that took nearly as long as Proctor was in office.

The job, it seems, has been difficult to fill. A source close to the administration said the Proctor search dragged on so long because Harvard was turned down by two or three candidates before it was able to hire Proctor.

The source also said that one of Proctor's predecessors, Robert H. Scott, also resigned from the position because of frustration with Rudenstine's indecisiveness.

Even though Proctor said he was enthusiastic to work with Harvard's administrative structure when he came to the University and has achieved a number of his goals here, he said he was just not able to stay with a job he doesn't like.

Frustration

Even after years as New York City's budget guru and then as a budgetary adviser for New York State, Proctor described the consensus-building requirements of crafting a budget at Harvard as overwhelming.

He said he didn't have the temperament or patience to deal with a process devoid of a centralized bureaucratic structure. Instead of one agency with strong central budgetary control over the entire University, each of Harvard's schools is largely financially autonomous with its own procedures, concerns and administrators.

"In New York I knew my position and where everyone stood and I could work out what was needed," Proctor said. "Here it's like for one decision I have to work with the Georgia Legislature and for the next with the Iowa Legislature."

Provost Albert Carnesale said Harvard is, like most universities, far more decentralized than the average corporation and is even more decentralized than the rest of the universities in the nation.

Carnesale said Harvard's structure would probably make for a difficult transition for someone accustomed to a highly structured environment but said the system has its advantages.

"As with any system there are trade-offs here," Carnesale said. "We believe this system is more likely to lead to better decisions even thought it is not as effective as a hierarchical organization. I do believe it leads to better results overall."

A Replacement?

Carnesale will spearhead the search for a replacement for Proctor.