As Carnesale was acting president and provost at the same time, faculty members say the division of labor was further confused.

“The question had been, ‘What would you throw the provost into?’ It eventually became, ‘What would you hold him out of,’” Carnesale says.

But Carnesale also left abruptly, when he was offered the job of Chancellor of the University of California Los Angeles.

For the last four years Fineberg has held the job of provost and brought a sense of stability to the position in the eyes of many observers. Those who dealt with him credit him for his quiet diplomacy and say that he solidified a few areas as the provost’s sole territory.

From its reestablishment in 1991, the provost’s central purpose has been to coordinate interfaculty relation. As provost, Fineberg oversaw the maturation and creation of several “interfaculty initiatives” and continued to encourage further integration of the University’s parts.

Fineberg also oversaw the central information technology office, as well as studies on the use of Harvard’s name and other intellectual property issues.

During the Radcliffe merger, Fineberg functioned as a top deputy of the president, but at the same time shared the stage with Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles.

Reinventing the Job