Dean of Students at Rutgers May Become Next Radcliffe President

Mrs. Mary I. Bunting, currently the Dean of Students at Rutgers, will probably become the next President of Radcliffe, according to usually reliable sources.

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Francis Lee Higginson Professor of History, Emeritus, and chairman of the committee to choose a successor to President Wilbur K. Jordan, declined last night to comment on the report of Mrs. Bunting's selection. "I have no comment--either to confirm or deny," Schlesinger said.

Contacted by telephone at her home in New Jersey, Mrs. Bunting was similarly non-commital. She did say that she knew she had been "considered" for the post--"along with a good many other people."

Rutgers Dean Since 1955

Mrs. Bunting became the dean at Rutgers in 1955. A Vassar alumna, she had previously taught at Bennington, Goucher, and Yale. She received her Ph.D. in Biology from Wisconsin in 1934.

She is a widow in her late forties, and has three children. She is believed to have been a strong candidate earlier this year for the presidency of Smith College.

Schlesinger revealed that the committee has reached "a final decision" and will make a formal recommendation to the Radcliffe trustees on June 9. But he refused to make any statement about the identity of the nominee, beyond the assurance that "it's neither Eleanor Roosevelt nor Clare Booth Luce."

100 Candidates Considered

Schlesinger said that over 100 candidates had been given at least some consideration, with the list being pared to four or five before the final selection.

Much of the committee's deliberations apparently center about the question of whether a man or a woman should be chosen. At an earlier stage, the committee was reportedly prepared to endorse a member of the History Department.