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.

The replacements should easily be found in time because both Corporation members will continue in their posts through the 1996-97 school year, Rudenstine said.

While the Corporation rarely considers specific academic programs, it is important to have someone with an "ear for academics," Rudenstine said.

"Academics bring a good number of things to the Corporation," Rudenstine said. "They have an understanding of scholarship, teaching, they know how a university works and have a feel for what university learning entails."

Since the Corporation tends to look at more long-term issues that will affect the shape of the University in the future, it is important to keep these kinds of considerations in mind, Rudenstine said.

Ideally, at least one of the new Corporation members will come from a large university like Harvard and not a smaller college, Rudenstine said. The University will be "totally open" to candidates who are either professors or administrators, he said.

"Ideally we would want, even in someone without administrative experience, at least an interest in institutions as a whole as most of the questions we deal with are on the scale of the whole institution," the president said.

Reardon Appointment

When Vice-President for Alumni Affairs and Development Fred L. Glimp '50 announced he would step down at the end of the year, the University did not follow its usual procedure and hold a search to fill the vacancy.

Instead, it promoted Thomas M. Reardon to fill the spot.

Though this kind of promotion was unusual, it was necessary because of demands of the ongoing five-year University Campaign, Rudenstine said.

Glimp told University officials before the $2 billion fundraising campaign began that he would likely not stay on full-time for the entire five years, Rudenstine said.

It made more sense, the president said, to promote Reardon who has worked closely with Glimp for the past 17 years in order to ensure a smooth transition.

"You try not to have a large hiatus in the middle of a campaign," Rudenstine said. "If you do a search, you have to stop for three to six months to find a new person and even if they are extraordinarily good, they're not going to know all of the details of the operation, and it may take them a few months to get off the ground."

Rudenstine also noted the transition has been underway for some time. Reardon has taken over more administrative duties in recent years, and Glimp has been worked more on solicitation.

Rudenstine said the University made sure to check with its general counsel and human resources division and made sure the promotion was in accordance with all legal guidelines for such an appointment.

"When you have a person in position for 17 years like that it's not that unusual to promote from within," Rudenstine said