Filling one of the more pressing holes in his senior administration, University President Lawrence H. Summers announced yesterday that Alan Stone will take over as vice president for government, community and public affairs in early November.

Stone, who holds the equivalent position of vice president for public affairs at Columbia University, replaces Paul S. Grogan, who stepped down as vice president July 1.

The announcement came after the Fellows of the Harvard Corporation approved Stone’s hiring at their meeting this weekend.

In an interview with The Crimson yesterday, Stone said his decision to leave Columbia was not an easy one, but was driven by his desire to work at Harvard and the sense that the moment was right for him to move on.

“There’s a transition underway here, a new president is going to be chosen and there’s a small amount of uncertainty,” Stone said. “I’ve been at Columbia six years, and Harvard is one of the few universities I would have thought to leave for.”

Stone said he is looking forward to working with Summers and the public affairs staff currently in place.

“I know the Boston area, and I was very impressed with the ideas about this job that President Summers had,” Stone said. He said he also knew many of the other members of Harvard’s government, community and public affairs office, having encountered them in various professional settings.

In a press statement, Summers praised Stone and his record.

“I am impressed with Alan’s breadth of experience,” Summers said. “He has a distinguished record of service at the most senior levels of government in policy-making and politics, making him ideally suited for this assignment.”

The Course Ahead

Though Cambridge and Allston community leaders were not familiar with Stone, they said they were optimistic about his appointment and looked forward to working with him.

Stone faces significant challenges on the local level in the months ahead. Relations with Cambridge have soured over the past few years, and the University currently has long-range plans to expand into Allston—a move which will require close collaboration with Boston city government.

City Councillor Kathleen C. Born said Stone has a chance to make an impact by fostering personal connections with Cambridge leaders and working towards continued transparency in relations.

As vice president, Stone will oversee the members of his office whose direct domain is local affairs.

How big a role Stone plays personally in these relations is an open question. His predecessor, Grogan, was seen to be very involved in relations with Boston and Allston, but less so in Cambridge.