Overseers Voice Support for Rudenstine

The Board of Overseers, the less powerful of Harvard's two governing boards, met this weekend for the first time since President Neil L. Rudenstine announced last Monday he would take a medical leave of absence.

After yesterday's meeting, the Overseers issued a statement supporting the President's decision "at the urging of his doctors, to take a medical leave of absence in order to get some much-needed rest."

The board was also told the progress of the $2.1 billion University Campaign, which has so far raised $780 million, according to a source close to the University. The campaign is behind the $1 million-a-day pace Rudenstine hoped for.

In their statement, the Overseers praised the job that Rudenstine has done as president.

"[Rudenstine] is a vigorous and extremely effective leader for Harvard, and we know it is only with the greatest reluctance that he had accepted the medical judgment that a period of rest is required," the statement said.

The Overseers also announced their support for Provost Albert Carnesale as acting President: "Harvard is fortunate to have someone of

Albert Carnesale's experience and ability to assume the day-to-day duties of the university presidency for this interim period," the statement said.

The Campaign

According to the figure provided to the Overseers, approximately $125 million was raised since the campaign's May 13 kick-off. The rest of the money come in prior to its official beginning.

This puts the University behind the $1 million a day pace Rudenstine has continually said would have to be maintained for the campaign to be successful.

Despite the campaign's failure to keep the pace, the University has claimed that it is pleased and has ascribed the lag to the fact that summer is a traditionally slow time for raising money.

Experts familiar with fund drives agree that money coming in during the summer months often slows because of vacations and because school is not in session. They also add that they do not expect Rudenstine's leave to have a negative effect on the fund drive.

The University Campaign is central to Rudenstine's central goal of bringing together Harvard's ten schools, which he once called "fiendishly decentralized."

When he entered office, Rudenstine put the brakes on the plans that the former administration had begun and started a two-year planning process. It consisted of a reevaluation of the various schools' needs and focused on getting all the schools more aware and involved with each other.

To that end, Rudenstine has said he participated in hundreds of meetings over a two-year period, planning for the campaign.

The effort is clearest in the wide publicity for the campaign. In its main brochure, Rudenstine declared that he hoped to "forge creative links between the University's different parts."

The campaign's focus is on improving existing resources, as opposed to further expansion

Albert Carnesale's experience and ability to assume the day-to-day duties of the university presidency for this interim period," the statement said.

The Campaign

According to the figure provided to the Overseers, approximately $125 million was raised since the campaign's May 13 kick-off. The rest of the money come in prior to its official beginning.

This puts the University behind the $1 million a day pace Rudenstine has continually said would have to be maintained for the campaign to be successful.

Despite the campaign's failure to keep the pace, the University has claimed that it is pleased and has ascribed the lag to the fact that summer is a traditionally slow time for raising money.

Experts familiar with fund drives agree that money coming in during the summer months often slows because of vacations and because school is not in session. They also add that they do not expect Rudenstine's leave to have a negative effect on the fund drive.

The University Campaign is central to Rudenstine's central goal of bringing together Harvard's ten schools, which he once called "fiendishly decentralized."

When he entered office, Rudenstine put the brakes on the plans that the former administration had begun and started a two-year planning process. It consisted of a reevaluation of the various schools' needs and focused on getting all the schools more aware and involved with each other.

To that end, Rudenstine has said he participated in hundreds of meetings over a two-year period, planning for the campaign.

The effort is clearest in the wide publicity for the campaign. In its main brochure, Rudenstine declared that he hoped to "forge creative links between the University's different parts."

The campaign's focus is on improving existing resources, as opposed to further expansion