But Carnesale, as part of the transfer, was put in charge of a complete restructuring of the OIT--including the termination of 93 employees--because of his negotiation abilities and his talent in handling rough issues such as this one, a source said. Then-vice president of finance Alan J. Proctor was unable to stomach the administrative drudgery necessary to construct compromise in Harvard's terminally decentralized environment.
Carnesale also handled complications earlier this year with HUCTW. His stern negotiations sparked a multi-month picket with HUCTW employees greeting Carnesale each morning, sometimes with cutouts of his head on sticks.
Wild Thicket
Though Carnesale spends a great deal of time cleaning up the President's administrative headaches, some have pointed out that the work of coordinating Harvard's nine faculties--the other half of his job--has gone undone.
Though he is credited with the institution and coordination of the five inter-faculty initiatives, some critics say he has done nothing more to coordinate Harvard's disperse faculties. This is due in part to Harvard's climate of decentralization, but some argue that it what Rudenstine wants in a provost.
"That's not the job I took," Green says. "It's very limited, a miscellaneous set of activities."
But some have asked if Rudenstine has realized what he needs from a provost. It was Carnesale the man, the decision-maker, who made the provostship what it is, and with the dynamic of Carnesale-Rudenstine hinging so much on their respective leadership styles, it is unclear if Fineberg, while having mastered the fiefdom, can be co-majesty of the kingdom.
Fineberg's office is more a comfortable living room, with a desk recessed in a corner, out of sight. His large glasses and unrestrained smile give him an academic, owl-like look, which matches well his four Harvard degrees.
Like Carnesale, he, too, watches his words and wit, but he does so with a softer, more personable touch, without the ox-like force of a man who can clear administrative hassles like so many acres of tangled prairie. How he will negotiate the vast and wild thicket remains to be seen.
Rudenstine reflected on the lessons he learned from his two provosts when he chose Fineberg.
"It's job description that is reasonably coherent, and the tasks are known," Rudenstine says.
"The number of people who have the required kinds of experience, temperment, knowledge of the institution and talent is a very small pool," he adds. "It's not a postion in which you want to place an untested person."