With Kennedy School of Government (KSG) Dean Joseph S. Nye slated to step down at the end of the semester, academics who have held high-profile posts in the Clinton administration headline the list of potential successors, according to former and current KSG faculty.

Speculation has centered upon Black Professor of Political Economy David T. Ellwood ’75, a two-time KSG academic dean who served as assistant secretary of health and human services under President Clinton.

When asked if he would accept the deanship, Ellwood declined to comment.

University President Lawrence H. Summers has had a series of one-on-one sessions with candidates this month, and the school’s academic dean, Belfer Professor of International Affairs Stephen M. Walt, said he thought Summers might announce his choice as early as April.

Though KSG dean searches have historically led to internal appointments, members of the school’s faculty predict that Summers—given his broad experience in federal government—might tap a former or current public official for the post.

Three KSG faculty said that Laura D. Tyson, current dean of the London School of Economics, would have a strong shot at winning Nye’s post—if she wants it.

Tyson chaired the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA) under Clinton.

Senior KSG faculty members said that the school’s current and former academic deans are also leading candidates for Nye’s post.

Baker Professor of Economics Martin S. Feldstein, who taught Ellwood at the College, said his former student “combines, in the Kennedy School tradition, actual work in public policy with research in public policy issues.”

A former KSG administrator said that Walt—although widely admired for his academic gravitas and his skills as an administrator—lacks Ellwood’s extensive network of support within the school’s faculty.

Walt declined to comment on whether, if offered, he would accept the post.

Stanton Professor of the First Amendment Frederick Schauer—another potential contender—served as KSG academic dean from 1997 to 2002.

One senior KSG professor said that Ellwood, Walt and Schauer are the “most prominent” internal candidates mentioned.

Weatherhead Professor of Public Management Steven J. Kelman ’70, a member of the 10-person committee that Summers has appointed to advise him on the search, said that experience as a public official and academic administrator is a “plus” but not a prerequisite for the job.

“Among the things that everyone on the committee and the president are looking for are scholarly and academic distinction and also participation and identification with public policy and service,” Kelman said.