Rudenstine Issues Planning Report

After two years of University-wide deliberations designed to prepare Harvard for its most ambitious fund drive ever, President Neil L. Rudenstine this week officially released an 83-page outline of his vision for the future of the University.

The report is the product of an unprecedented University-wide academic planning process and represents the intellectual rationale for the upcoming capital campaign. The five-year drive is set to start on May 13 with a goal of about $2 billion.

The 24,000-word document is largely philosophical in nature, but it also contains a partial "wish-list" for the fund drive that includes everything from building renovations to new faculty positions.

But the report's central theme is the need for Harvard to streamline its bureaucracy and foster cooperation between its different schools and departments.

"We need to focus less on expansion and more on integration--on developing our capacities to coordinate, to consolidate, and to improve the programs we already offer and the resources we already possess," Rudenstine wrote.

The report is divided into four parts. The first two cover the goals of the Faculty of Arts of Sciences and the professional schools. The third examines Harvard's international and cross-disciplinary programs, and the last stresses the need for the University to remain accessible and diverse.

Rudenstine emphasized the need to strengthen teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate level. Harvard should hire 80 new faculty members over the next five years, and increase funding for the training of teachers, the report said.

The report specifically calls for 40 new faculty positions in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, primarily in departments such as Government and Economics where the student-faculty ratio is particularly high.

Construction plans include the renovation of Sanders Theatre, the first-year dormitories and the Lowell Lecture Hall. Other spaces will be redesigned: Memorial Hall will be converted into a student commons and the Union will become a new humanities center.

Rudenstine also hopes to add 40 new facultypositions spread among the eight graduate schools.Several schools also have plans for newconstruction, including renovations at the MedicalSchool and the first expansion in two decades atthe School of Public Health.

In an interview yesterday, Rudenstine stressedthat the primary goal of the upcoming capitalcampaign will be "retooling and strengthening,"rather than expansion. "This is more a qualitativeinvestment than a quantitative investment," hesaid.

Rudenstine said it was important for theUniversity to think carefully about its needsbefore asking for donations because of the stateof the economy.

And because of advancing technology and stiffcompetition from other schools, Rudenstineasserted, "You actually have to run twice as hardto stay in place."

The president said Harvard must maintain itshigh standards and should measure itself notagainst other schools, but against itself.

"The basic case that's made [in the report] iswhat I believe the absolute standard should be,"he said. "It's not a competitive case.Competitively, we're in a very good position."

The report highlights the need to improvediversity among the faculty and the student bodydespite tough challenges. For example, Rudenstinenoted the difficulty of recruiting minorityfaculty members given the relative dearth ofminority Ph.D. recipients in recent years.

In a similar vein, Rudenstine reaffirmed hiscommitment to need-blind admissions, and proposedincreasing financial aid for graduate schoolstudents.

The report also stressed the importance ofdirecting the University's resources towardserving the public, especially in areas such asprimary and secondary education, internationalrelations and the environment.

"We must participate even more fully in thetask of confronting the difficult dilemmas thatnow face society," the report said.

While the report does emphasize Harvard's roleas a research university, it also makes it clearthat the University must redouble its commitmentto teaching.

The report focuses particularly on bolsteringundergraduate education. Rudenstine suggestsseveral measures: improving House life, increasingfunding for extracurricular activities,heightening support for student research andexpanding opportunities for small-groupinstruction.

Rudenstine said in the interview that he wantedsenior faculty members to lead small seminars inthe Houses with students. Most important, he said,is for those discussions to be sustained over theschool year, and to center around informalgatherings such as lunches and dinners

Rudenstine also hopes to add 40 new facultypositions spread among the eight graduate schools.Several schools also have plans for newconstruction, including renovations at the MedicalSchool and the first expansion in two decades atthe School of Public Health.

In an interview yesterday, Rudenstine stressedthat the primary goal of the upcoming capitalcampaign will be "retooling and strengthening,"rather than expansion. "This is more a qualitativeinvestment than a quantitative investment," hesaid.

Rudenstine said it was important for theUniversity to think carefully about its needsbefore asking for donations because of the stateof the economy.

And because of advancing technology and stiffcompetition from other schools, Rudenstineasserted, "You actually have to run twice as hardto stay in place."

The president said Harvard must maintain itshigh standards and should measure itself notagainst other schools, but against itself.

"The basic case that's made [in the report] iswhat I believe the absolute standard should be,"he said. "It's not a competitive case.Competitively, we're in a very good position."

The report highlights the need to improvediversity among the faculty and the student bodydespite tough challenges. For example, Rudenstinenoted the difficulty of recruiting minorityfaculty members given the relative dearth ofminority Ph.D. recipients in recent years.

In a similar vein, Rudenstine reaffirmed hiscommitment to need-blind admissions, and proposedincreasing financial aid for graduate schoolstudents.

The report also stressed the importance ofdirecting the University's resources towardserving the public, especially in areas such asprimary and secondary education, internationalrelations and the environment.

"We must participate even more fully in thetask of confronting the difficult dilemmas thatnow face society," the report said.

While the report does emphasize Harvard's roleas a research university, it also makes it clearthat the University must redouble its commitmentto teaching.

The report focuses particularly on bolsteringundergraduate education. Rudenstine suggestsseveral measures: improving House life, increasingfunding for extracurricular activities,heightening support for student research andexpanding opportunities for small-groupinstruction.

Rudenstine said in the interview that he wantedsenior faculty members to lead small seminars inthe Houses with students. Most important, he said,is for those discussions to be sustained over theschool year, and to center around informalgatherings such as lunches and dinners