Explaining Rudenstine

Neil Rudenstine will sit in his Mass. Halloffice with a distressed student, unconscious ofthe ticking of the large grandfather clock,playing a counseling role that is perhaps betterhandled by a College administrator. He works lateinto the night handwriting letters--oftenthank-you notes--to acquaintances and colleagues.

One Rudenstine associate says the president isoften advised to delegate these tasks to othersand free up his own time for University matters.

"He still has a kind of hands-on managementstyle--he spends time on things other universitypresidents would delegate," the source says.

At heart, Fineberg says, Rudenstine is anintellectual.

Rudenstine is not content to relinquish any ofthe academic aspects of his job--running thelarger Harvard much as he helped run Princetonwhen he was provost. He reviews 20 tenure casesper year--six in the last two weeks. And forRudenstine, reviewing a case does not mean simplyskimming the material.

"You have to have enough mastery to lead themeeting," Rudenstine says.

He says he strives to maintain a nearly equalbalance of time and effort between pureadministration and academic concerns.

"I try very, very hard to have as close to 50,maybe 40 percent, be directed to academic andintellectual things related to the University,"Rudenstine says.

The president considers "academic andintellectual" to encompass more than just histasks related to the University. He readsconstantly, keeping up with the new developmentsin every field from neuroscience to politicaltheory and engaging professors in livelydiscussions about their work. "[You're not doingyour job], if you don't know what the devil'sgoing on academically," Rudenstine says.

To make time for all of these tasks, Rudenstineregularly works 15- to 16-hour days, often risingat 6 a.m. to get in extra reading time before theday officially begins. Rudenstine writes all ofhis own speeches--often spending days perfectingmessage and language.

Over the last few weeks he has been writing theBaccalaureate, Commencement and reunion speeches.Over a recent five-day period, he says, "I simplywrote from 8 or 9 a.m. to 9 or 10 p.m."

Those who know him well say he has giveneverything he has to the job. This summer thepresident was planning to forego his personalvacation to make more time for work untilcolleagues persuaded him that he needed therelaxation.

"He's given more of himself than is good forhim," says Peter L. Malkin '55, a major Harvarddonor. "One just hopes that it doesn't take toomuch from his own strength." At points, itcertainly has. In 1994, the president was forcedto take off from his job for a two-month break asa result of "exhaustion."

But that style of leadership, obsessing overdetails that are beneath the concerns of hisoffice, may not simply be charming. It may also beharmful to the presidency, as Rudenstine avoidslarger, more important questions in favor ofrelative trivia.