Economist Sachs To Head Institute

Jeffrey D. Sachs '76, Stone professor of international trade, will be the next director of the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID), University officials announced yesterday.

Sachs said he hopes to continue and improve upon the current mission of the institute: to advise on, promote research about and educate students of international economic development.

"I have a major interest in intensifying the research on development that is being done at HIID, by drawing on all of the faculties and trying to bring people in who have not been involved with HIID in the past," Sachs said in a telephone interview.

Sachs succeeds Dwight H. Perkins, Burbank professor of political economy, who is stepping down after 15 years to resume teaching and research on development in East and South-east Asia.

Sachs hasgained notoriety by serving as an economic adviser to governments in Latin America, Eastern Europe, Asia and the former Soviet Union. Most recently, from 1991 to 1994, he led a team of economic advisers to meet with Russian President Boris Yeltsin.

Sachs, who will assume his new post on July 1, said he has been working part-time with the institute for the past three years and plans to continue to hold a joint appointment with the institute and the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. While at the institute, he said, he has worked to develop connections with faculty at schools who do not traditionally come into contact with HIID researchers.

"My sense is that there are a lot of people on the faculty already working on development for whom HIID can be a valuable resource," Sachs said.

The new director said he has also been working on enhancing the institute's relationships with international research programs.

"I'm also having fairly detailed discussions with a number of research institutes around the world to try to develop programs of long-term joint research," Sachs said, adding that possible areas of interest include Africa, China, India, Russia and Latin America.

Lest undergraduates think the new director has not considered their needs in his new plan, Sachs said he hopes to provide additional resources for students writing these and forthose hoping to spend time abroad.

"The message is: stay tuned," Sachs said."We're going to be doing some new things [aimed atunder-graduates.]"

In a press release issued by the Universityyesterday, Sachs' predecessor and severaladministrators lauded his appointment.

"Jeff is one of the most outstanding economistsof his generation, and I look forward to workingwith him as HIID's new director," Perkins said.

Provost Albert Carnesale, who has dedicatedmuch of his time in the past year to buildinginterfaculty initiatives, praised Sachs for hiswork at recruiting new interest in HIID amongdiverse faculties.

"HIID plays a vital role at Harvard, both inbuilding links among different disciplines and instrengthening the University's efforts to addresscomplex problems in the larger world," Carnesalesaid. "I am extremely pleased that Jeff Sachs willbe bringing his extraordinary talents and energiesto the leadership of HIID, and I am very gratefulto Dwight Perkins for his highly successful tenureas director of this integral part of Harvard."

Sachs' appointment as director is the latest ina long series of successes at Harvard. Afterreceiving his bachelor's, master's and doctoraldegrees from Harvard, Sachs joined the faculty ofthe Department of Economics in 1980, and became afull professor in 1983

"The message is: stay tuned," Sachs said."We're going to be doing some new things [aimed atunder-graduates.]"

In a press release issued by the Universityyesterday, Sachs' predecessor and severaladministrators lauded his appointment.

"Jeff is one of the most outstanding economistsof his generation, and I look forward to workingwith him as HIID's new director," Perkins said.

Provost Albert Carnesale, who has dedicatedmuch of his time in the past year to buildinginterfaculty initiatives, praised Sachs for hiswork at recruiting new interest in HIID amongdiverse faculties.

"HIID plays a vital role at Harvard, both inbuilding links among different disciplines and instrengthening the University's efforts to addresscomplex problems in the larger world," Carnesalesaid. "I am extremely pleased that Jeff Sachs willbe bringing his extraordinary talents and energiesto the leadership of HIID, and I am very gratefulto Dwight Perkins for his highly successful tenureas director of this integral part of Harvard."

Sachs' appointment as director is the latest ina long series of successes at Harvard. Afterreceiving his bachelor's, master's and doctoraldegrees from Harvard, Sachs joined the faculty ofthe Department of Economics in 1980, and became afull professor in 1983