Despite little public evidence that University President Lawrence H. Summer has started looking for a new provost, behind the scenes the search is underway.

While Summers was initially considering candidates from outside of Harvard—Kathleen Sullivan, the dean of Stanford’s law school among them—the focus is now reportedly on those already at the University.

According to administration officials, Summers is asking deans for their reaction to certain candidates and making decisions about what characteristics he should most seek.

And although Summers has yet to ask particular individuals if they want to be considered for the post, he has resolved to have a provost in place by October, one official says.

Searching the Field

Summers’ first instinct has been to find either a woman or a scientist to fill the post, the official says, but his thinking is still developing. He is looking at both experienced administrators and those with less formal experience—“diamonds in the rough.”

That Summers should hope to pursue either a scientist or a woman to be the chief academic in his central administration is in line with appointments at several top-tier universities, most notably at Princeton University.

Many faculty members interviewed identify science as an area tightly entwined with the fate of the University.