At Harvard, The End is Near
In the Globe, the M-Bomb and Maria Sacchetti suggest that the presidential search is nearly wrapped up at Harvard. But their article has some gaps and hedges that make it less than useful.
Consider, for instance, the first paragraph:
The search for a Harvard president could wrap up as early as next weekend. One of the final contenders is Nobel laureate and philanthropic official Thomas R. Cech , while Drew Gilpin Faust, dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, appears to be the leading inside candidate, according to people familiar with the search process.
The search
could wrap up...
One of the final contenders is....Drew Gilpin Faust
appears to be the leading insider candidate.....
And if that isn't hedging enough, here's the very next sentence:
But the search remains subject to change at any time, and other candidates could suddenly rise to the top, according to the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the process is intended to be confidential.
In other words, what we've just written could be totally wrong.
The article then mentions that Harold Varmus is on the search committee's short list, which strikes me as implausible.
From what I hear, it's Drew Faust or Elena Kagan, with various e-mailers leaning towards one or the other....
I've been thinking that it'll be Faust all along, and nothing I've heard has changed my mind.
A side note: Even though there are some who dislike Steven Hyman because of his association with Larry Summers, I gather that there is also a reservoir of respect and good will towards Hyman, and a sense that, in general, he has served the university well.....