Farewell Fineberg

When Provost Harvey V. Fineberg '67 announced his resignation from the provost's office two weeks ago, it signaled what might be the end of Fineberg's remarkable Harvard career. Although he is officially taking a sabbatical and is still a tenured member of the faculty in the School of Public Health, many friends and colleagues have speculated that Fineberg may start looking for job offers at other institutions after being passed up for the Harvard presidency. Nevertheless, we would be sad to see Fineberg leave Harvard, and we hope that his accomplishments as provost, especially those involving interfaculty initiatives and the tying together of an often fragmented University would continue under the administration of President-elect Lawrence H. Summers.

Fineberg has made a permanent mark during his time as provost, acting as the point man for a number of President Neil L. Rudenstine's initiatives, strengthening the central administration despite the fiercely guarded independence of the University's professional and graduate schools. Administrators and faculty have called Fineberg one of the people who best understands the University, and in public statements they have praised his work on projects such as the report on University mental health services released in late 1999 and his oversight of Rudenstine's interfaculty initiatives. He is considered an able administrator and a respected scholar.

The work of the provost's office, however, has had the unfortunate side effect of exacerbating the already tense relations between the central administration and the separate schools. Fineberg's attempts to rein in the various fiefdoms that make up the University has won him some resentment as well as praise.

Summers has not said whether he will retain the office of the provost in his administration. Provosts have been relatively rare; only four have been appointed in Harvard's 365-year history. Summers has extensive experience in the administration of large organizations (notably the Treasury Department) and may not see the need for a second-in-command.

We have supported Rudenstine's emphasis on projects that cross faculty barriers, and we hope to see more such collaboration in the future. However, these projects are best left to the University president, who has the authority to carry out such projects without promoting rivalries between central administration and the schools' administrators. If Summers does appoint a new provost, he should clearly define and delineate the office's powers so as to minimize the potential for conflict with the schools. Rather than acting as an uncertain shadow president, the provost could carry out Summers' plans with confidence that the power of the presidency is behind him.

Fineberg said his decision to step down stems from the desire to allow Summers flexibility in deciding how he wants to run the University. It was a noble decision, especially in light of the fact that Fineberg was a top contender for the University presidency. We wish him the best in whatever he chooses to do after leaving office July 1. And we hope that Summers continues the important work that Fineberg has begun during his time as provost.