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Ec Dept. Attracts Leading Faculty

"They see a place like Berkeley where half the faculty are women--she may not say so but surely it will influence her choice," Williamson says.

Another challenge that all departments face is that often faculty come with families. Jobs for spouses, schooling for children and housing, all must be addressed when the department tries to lure a new hire to Cambridge.

And, of course, there's always money.

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According to Williamson, the salaries that his department can offer are usually lower than that of their competitors.

"It used to be we could get away with a big differential, but we can't any more," he says. "Now if people can't go to the number one place, number two is pretty bloody good."

Who and How?

It is a long, hard process that brings top faculty to Harvard. Williamson said that from start to finish it usually takes about a year.

The process begins with long internal meetings to discuss whom the department is going to pursue. The meetings are long and tiring; the department must sift through the nation's scholars to find, that's right, the best.

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