John Harvard's Journal | 11.1.2000

Brevia

Stephen J. Greenblatt

Jon Chase/ Harvard News Office

Cogan Professorship for Critic

Praising his leadership in shaping "the direction of scholarship and criticism in literature over the past quarter century," President Neil L. Rudenstine appointed Stephen J. Greenblatt the John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities, succeeding philosopher Hilary W. Putnam. Since coming to Harvard from Berkeley in 1997, Greenblatt has taught courses on British literature, new historicist criticism, and Shakespeare; his work on the Norton Shakespeare was covered in this magazine's July-August 1998 cover story.

Help Wanted

According to an extremely modest notice in the Sunday, September 24, New York Times (about the size of an adjacent ad for an "executive assistant" at the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, where Neil L. Rudenstine used to work), there is an opening for "President, Harvard University." Applicants should be persons of "high intellectual distinction and demonstrated leadership qualities."

RENEWED IN SPIRIT:

The renovated Divinity HallÑerected in 1825, and the first Harvard building outside the YardÑwas rededicated on September 22. In use as a dormitory since Andover Hall was built in 1910, it has now been converted to classrooms and faculty and administrative offices, all linked by a new central stairway. The chapel, site of Ralph Waldo EmersonÕs 1838 ÒDivinity School Address,Ó has been restored, too, and will be used for preaching classes and occasional services.

The renovated Divinity Hall--erected in 1825, and the first Harvard building outside the Yard--was rededicated on September 22. In use as a dormitory since Andover Hall was built in 1910, it has now been converted to classrooms and faculty and administrative offices, all linked by a new central stairway. The chapel, site of Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1838 "Divinity School Address," has been restored, too, and will be used for preaching classes and occasional services.

Photograph by Kris Snibbe

American Arts

Theodore E. Stebbins Jr., J.D. '64, Ph.D. '71, has been named distinguished fellow and consultative curator of American art at the Fogg Art Museum; he returns to Cambridge after 22 years at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The Harvard University Art Museums also announced the anonymous funding of an endowed curatorship named in honor of the late professor of fine arts Benjamin Rowland; that position will be filled in the future.

Human Research Czar

At a time of increased federal scrutiny of biomedical research involving humans, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services turned to one of the nation's premier research hospitals to police the use of human subjects. E. Greg Koski, associate professor of anaesthesia, left Massachusetts General Hospital to assume the directorship of the new Office of Human Research Protection, and immediately launched an effort to correct "out of control" conflicts of interest. He had overseen such research at MGH since 1996.

Nota Bene

Myra Mayman

Photo by Stu Rosner

ARTS DEPARTURE. Myra Mayman, founding director of the Office for the Arts, over which she has presided since 1973, has announced that she will step down at the end of the academic year. (See "Harvard Portrait" and the accompanying article on OFA's quarter-century anniversary, May-June 1999, pages 68-69.)

COLLEGE RANKING. U.S. News & World Report ranked Princeton first in its annual college beauty contest, ahead of Harvard and Yale (tied), Cal Tech (the 1999 winner), and MIT.

ROTC RANKING. The Paul Revere Battalion--comprising students from Harvard, MIT, Tufts, and Wellesley--was rated the country's best ROTC unit. In a ceremony at MIT, where the unit trains, Danielle Boudreau '01 accepted the award on behalf of her fellow cadets.

EXEMPLARY ECONOMIST. President Clinton conferred the nation's highest civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom, on John Kenneth Galbraith, Warburg professor of economics emeritus, on August 9.

John Kenneth Galbraith

Justin Ide/ Harvard News Office

GOOD TIMING. Awaiting the arrival of their new freshmen, Greenough proctors Matt J. DeGreeff '89 and Joyce Kreie DeGreeff, M.Div. '99, instead welcomed Jeremiah Robert, their first child, who was born three weeks early on Saturday, September 9; the couple plan to take advantage of the many built-in babysitters.

HITHER AND YON. Radcliffe's summer publishing course and its director, Lindy Hess, are relocating to the industry's capital, New York City, where they will be based at Columbia's Graduate School of Journalism....Andrew W. Murray, Ph.D. '84, has been appointed professor of molecular and cellular biology and the new director of the Center for Genomic Research....The Graduate School of Education's Project Zero, which conducts research on learning, is now directed by Steven M. Seidel, Ed.D. '95; he succeeds Howard Gardner, Hobbs professor of cognition and education, and David Perkins, senior research associate, the codirectors since 1972.