In the past, these tensions have hurt provosts’ chances at the presidency, according to Keller; indeed, no Harvard provost has ever assumed the top job.

When then-University President James B. Conant ’14 stepped down in 1953, the Harvard Corporation passed over Provost Paul Buck in favor of Nathan M. Pusey ’28.

And while Provost Harvey V. Fineberg ’67 was a serious contender to replace Neil L. Rudenstine when he stepped down in 2001, the Corporation chose Summers, a relative outsider, instead.

(Fineberg may get another chance—his name is also on the list of 30 presidential candidates presented to the Board of Overseers.)

"It certainly hasn’t been a stepping stone," Keller says. "It’s like being mayor of New York."

A SUMMERS MAN?

Hyman’s candidacy might also be tainted by his close connection, perceived or real, to Summers, who appointed him in 2001.

The link first became a problem last spring, when Hyman, along with Bok and Corporation member Nannerl O. Keohane, was considered for the interim presidency. The Crimson reported last June that the fellows of the Corporation thought Hyman was too closely associated with Summers to be a viable interim choice.

Some say that Summers’ legacy may continue to dog Hyman throughout this year’s search.

"He might be hurt by any sense that he was Summers’ man," Bradley says. "Those pictures of him walking with Summers into the no-confidence-vote meeting won’t help him."

But while Hyman supported the president publicly, he often clashed with Summers in private. And in conversations with Corporation members prior to Summers’ resignation, Hyman was forthright about his sometimes-rocky relationship with the president, The Crimson reported last spring.

That effort, along with a willingness to articulate his own vision for the University, seems to have paid off among some of Summers’ critics.

"I think that [Hyman] has made it very clear that he has always been a different person and had different priorities in many respects from those of Summers," says Ryan, who was one of the president’s most ardent critics throughout last year’s tumult. "I don’t think that anyone really feels that he was part of the power behind the throne that then didn’t work out."

"He survived Summers and has come out with his reputation intact," says Bradley, whose book is in large part a scathing critique of Summers’ tenure, "which suggests at the least that he has some political skills—and that’s essential in a Harvard president."

‘UNFINISHED BUSINESS’

If Hyman is not chosen to lead the University, he is unlikely to remain provost, if history is any guide. Neither Fineberg nor Buck stayed on board after being passed over for the top job.

Hyman could potentially take the reins of HMS, where he was a student and faculty member before going on to lead the National Institute of Mental Health. But Hyman says he is not a candidate for the deanship.

In fact, Hyman says he has "unfinished business" that he’d like to see through, including the establishment of a University science and engineering committee, the creation of the first University-wide academic departments, the renovation of the Fogg Art Museum, and "seeing Allston science be vibrant and interdisciplinary."

But he recognizes that his future may be outside his control.

"The new president needs to have a provost who’s completely simpatico," Hyman says. "You know, I understand that."

—Paras D. Bhayani, Claire M. Guehenno, and Javier C. Hernandez contributed to the reporting of this story.
—Staff writer Laurence H. M. Holland can be reached at lholland@fas.harvard.edu.