Spence Introduced as Dean

Mike Spence passed the first test of his new job with flying colors yesterday.

In the first official duty of his transition period--a 45-minute press conference--A. Michael Spence, the next Dean of the Faculty, gave all the right answers, gave them smoothly, and even threw in a few jokes for good measure.

"I don't think I've yet had an opportunity to let this fully sink in," Spence began, following a brief introduction from President Bok. "It certainly is the most exciting thing that has happened to me in my professional life."

The 40-year-old business theorist proceeded to humbly, but deftly, handle a wide range of questions from the approximately 15 reporters gathered in the second-floor Massachusetts Hall conference room. While Spence, currently the chairman of the Economics Department, appeared slightly nervous throughout the session, he showed the requisite coolness under fire, giving articulate--and broad--responses without getting bogged down in details.

Whether it was sexual harassment, affirmative action, or computers, Spence kept to a standard party line, acknowledging that problems exist in these areas, and pledging to continue work to solve them.

For instance, when asked whether he thought the issue of sexual harassment had been "blown out of proportion," Spence said. "From my reading--and I've not had an opportunity to study the issue--it doesn't sound to me that at's been blown out of proportion."

Spence when went on to stress the need to "find some selectively specific guidelines" for behavior of professors, but stopped at giving any more details. And when he was asked to elaborate on a specific point--about the possibility of giving more publicity to harassment cases-Bok stepped in to bat the question always, annoying that "this is his first day" and that Spence seeded some more background on the issue.

Throughout the conference, Bok stepped in several occasions to deflect a number of questions and make sure that all went well in Spence's hot public appearance as deancleot.

Spence seemed grateful for the help, and on occasion even--when asked a question about the Core Curriculum--he appeared so turn to Bok for approval after calling it a "giant step forward" in educational curricula.

The contrast between the graying and relaxed Bok and the youthful and nervous Spence could not have been more evident at this point.

Indeed, throughout the conference, in spite of his quick command of the issues and engaging smoothness. Spence seemed to be somewhat bemused over the whole situation--over having suddenly been thrust into the spotlight of one of the most prestigious jobs in academia.

Still, his tentativeness and humility in answering questions notwithstanding. Spence gave a clear sense of how he conceives the office of Dean.

"I will try to be open," said Spence, who has a reputation for fair-mindedness among his colleagues. "On the other hand, I'm not hopelessly naive on the question of the need to spread responsibilities around. I expect that on important issues that there will be people of stature and integrity and responsibility who have the primary responsibility."

"There will be times when it's important for the Dean of the Faculty to have something also to say--but I don't think on every occasion or on every issue," he added