President Neil L. Rudenstine yesterday described his recent meeting with alumni representatives from the Committee to Save the Great Hall of the Harvard Union as a positive interchange.

"It was a good exchange," Rudenstine said in an interview. "We were both very candid. I said what I thought; they said what they thought. It was not at all acrimonious. It was very friendly."

Rudenstine said he explained to the alumni, who are objecting to ongoing renovations, that the University had to make some compromises to create the new Barker Humanities Center that will occupy the Union.

The center will house between nine and 11 humanities departments, Rudenstine said, promoting greater interaction between the departments and providing easier access to Harvard's libraries.

"We can have a real concentration with an interchange we can't get now, which we had to balance against the architectural integrity of the building," Rudenstine said.

He also stressed that the architects planning the renovations have taken great pains to maintain and restore the outside appearance of the building to its original form.

"To understand this change you have to accept the premise that this program needs to be implemented and that we can't build new stuff out there," Rudenstine said. "On straight architectural grounds, you would probably not start with the premise that you were going to change it."

In spite of the University's assurances that the renovations are necessary, alumni groups and architectural preservationists have staged a number of demonstrations in recent weeks.

Alumni have accused Harvard of "trashing" the Union and of ignoring its architectural history. One protester chained himself to the Union's gates two weeks ago.

"The people who are unhappy are very unhappy," Rudenstine said. "All we can do is try to explain."

In yesterday's interview, Rudenstine also said at least one of the two openings on the Harvard Corporation will likely be filled with an academic.

Having an academic on the Corporation, the higher of Harvard's two governing boards, is important in maintaining an understanding of how a university works as a whole and will be a major priority in the search for a replacement for Geyser University Professor Henry Rosovsky, according to Rudenstine.

"The first search will definitely be focused on finding an excellent academic who has experience with an institution comparable with Harvard," Rudenstine said.

Rosovsky's resignation last month left Rudenstine as the only member of the Corporation with an academic background.

The search for Rosovsky's replacement will likely take place over the summer, and Rudenstine said he hopes the choice will be made by the start of the next academic year.

Once that selection is made, the University will evaluate the needs of the Corporation and begin the search for another Corporation member to replace Richard A. Smith '46, who announced his resignation with Rosovsky last month.