Despite Merger, Devil's In Details

In 1943, Harvard President James B. Conant'14 and Dean of the Faculty Paul Buck were riding on a train together. Conant turned to Buck and asked, "What are we going to do about the Harvard-Radcliffe relationship?"

"Nothing," Buck answered. "It's like (Not Clear Data) a scrambled egg there's no way to unscramble it."

Today it might seem like, at long last, administrators have found a way to accomplish that daunting task to unscramble the confusing ties between Harvard and Radcliffe and set them in a new, orderly structure.

Indeed, to judge from yesterday's press conference, both institutions were in complete harmony. Smiling broadly, leaders of Harvard and Radcliffe clasped hands for a photo op on the steps of Fay House. In their speeches, Presidents Linda S. Wilson and Neil L. Rudenstine spoke of "union" and "collaboration" between their formerly separate domains.

But beneath that appearance of uniformity, one theme recurred throughout the day: "They devil's in the details."

That's how Michele F. Levy '87, the treasurer of the Radcliffe College Alumnae Association (RCAA), put it. So did incoming interim head of Radcliffe Mary Maples Dunn.

By the end of the day, the phrase was so familiar that Radcliffe Dean of Educational Programs Tamar March referred simply to "the devil" without bothering to finish the phrase.

In the words of Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles, "There is a myriad of issues, small and medium, to be resolved."

Though the plan signed yesterday outlines general principles the two institutions agree upon, it remains to be seen whether those "small and medium" details might not prove more unwieldy than anyone thought.

Among the "details" left unexplained are such meaty issues as the future of Radcliffe's undergraduate programming in a post-graduate Institute (please see related story, this page) and the funding of the RCAA, which currently receives all its money from Radcliffe College.

What about Radcliffe's capital campaign? Alumnae have already donated more than $70 million over the past six years to Radcliffe College. One seven-figure gift was "in the pipeline" as recently as a few weeks ago.

Some observers question whether those major donors will now feel betrayed by the sudden switch.

And perhaps most glaringly, the future academic thrust of the Radcliffe Institute will remain the focus of discussions between faculty, scholars and administrators for months to come. What is still unclear is how Radcliffe will maintain its emphasis on "women, gender and society" if it is open to both men and women whose research spans a tremendous range of disciplines and topics.

"I expect that during the coming year or two, the dean of the Institute will, with help from faculty members and others, shape an academic plan for the new Institute," Knowles said.

With the devil lurking in seemingly every corner, why then did Harvard and Radcliffe officials decide togo ahead with such a public declaration of theirintentions?

One possible explanation is that theannouncement was intended to bolster morale withinRadcliffe, which has been beset by rumors andpublic scrutiny for more than a year.

Since June, Radcliffe has experienced fivehigh-level administrative departures, excludingWilson's. Stories about the institution'suncertain future had surfaced periodically innational media since last April.

In addition, Wilson claimed yesterday that shehas long wanted to take a breather from theRadcliffe presidency.

However, an announcement of her resignationbefore a public announcement of her college'splans would have made for clumsy public relations,raising questions about the progress of the talks.

But officials said the agreement came nowbecause the principals see the remaining detailsas just that-details.

"Why don't you dot every 'i' and cross every't'? Because that takes a long time and requiresinput from a lot of faculty colleagues," Knowlessaid.

Knowles added that he plans to spend severalmonths "working closely" with Dunn and anypermanent successor ironing out remainingquestions, minor and major.

Rudenstine insisted that the plan is all butworked out.

"[We decided that] as soon as we agreed on theactual terms, we'd announce it," he said. "Ifyou're going to do a merger there's a number oflegal steps you have to go through, but we didn'twant to wait until June 28 when nobody would behere."

But what might seem like mere "legal steps" toUniversity presidents and Boards of Trustees aremore significant to those on the ground.

"There are simply things we don't know," Marchsaid. "Like, as of when? Should this be reflectedin our stationery? Should this be on our Website?"

"Is the year of transition exactly that?" Marchadded. "That's a very basic question that we don'tknow the answer to yet.

One possible explanation is that theannouncement was intended to bolster morale withinRadcliffe, which has been beset by rumors andpublic scrutiny for more than a year.

Since June, Radcliffe has experienced fivehigh-level administrative departures, excludingWilson's. Stories about the institution'suncertain future had surfaced periodically innational media since last April.

In addition, Wilson claimed yesterday that shehas long wanted to take a breather from theRadcliffe presidency.

However, an announcement of her resignationbefore a public announcement of her college'splans would have made for clumsy public relations,raising questions about the progress of the talks.

But officials said the agreement came nowbecause the principals see the remaining detailsas just that-details.

"Why don't you dot every 'i' and cross every't'? Because that takes a long time and requiresinput from a lot of faculty colleagues," Knowlessaid.

Knowles added that he plans to spend severalmonths "working closely" with Dunn and anypermanent successor ironing out remainingquestions, minor and major.

Rudenstine insisted that the plan is all butworked out.

"[We decided that] as soon as we agreed on theactual terms, we'd announce it," he said. "Ifyou're going to do a merger there's a number oflegal steps you have to go through, but we didn'twant to wait until June 28 when nobody would behere."

But what might seem like mere "legal steps" toUniversity presidents and Boards of Trustees aremore significant to those on the ground.

"There are simply things we don't know," Marchsaid. "Like, as of when? Should this be reflectedin our stationery? Should this be on our Website?"

"Is the year of transition exactly that?" Marchadded. "That's a very basic question that we don'tknow the answer to yet.