Rudenstine Won't Appoint New Dean

President Neil L. Rudenstine and Dean of the Graduate School of Education (GSE) Jerome T. "Jerry" Murphy are both resigning their posts effective June 30 of next year.

But when Murphy announced last spring that he too would leave the following year, it was unclear whether Rudenstine or Rudenstine's successor would undertake the search for a new leader of the nation's top-ranked school of education.

Now Rudenstine says the task will be left to whoever takes over his Mass. Hall office. He will appoint an acting dean this spring, but he will leave the selection of the permanent dean to the new president.

In the meantime, Murphy says, "it's full steam ahead."

GSE is currently spending $10 million revamping its technology. Five faculty searches are underway. A strategic planning retreat for faculty has been planned for January. New online education programs are in the planning stages, and Murphy said the school also plans to focus more attention on gender and education.

"I don't want to be a lame duck resting on my laurels," Murphy says.

In June, Murphy said that one of the factors behind his decision to resign was the recently finished University-wide capital campaign--which raised $111 million for GSE.

Murphy also said that no particular event prompted his decision to step down as dean. But as just as Rudenstine had, Murphy noted that the influx of new funds makes it a good time for new leadership.

The money enabled the school to triple the number of its endowed professorships from eight to 24.

Murphy has served in the school's administration for 15 years. He first joined the faculty in 1974, and was tenured in 1982. He was named dean in 1992.

He received his doctoral degree from GSE in 1973.

Following a year-long sabbatical, Murphy will return to GSE as a professor.

The search for an acting dean will begin early in 2001, according to Harvard spokesperson Joe Wrinn.

-- Daniel P. Mosteller contributed to the reporting of this story.

-Crimson staff writer Vasugi V. Ganeshananthan can be reached at vganesh@fas.harvard.edu.