Dean picked for interim provost job

President Sheldon Hackney named Graduate School of Education Dean Marvin Lazerson acting provost yesterday. Lazerson will assume the position July 1, when Provost Michael Aiken will leave the University to become chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In February, when Aiken announced he would step down, Hackney said he hoped a new permanent provost would be chosen by July 1. Lazerson has been the school's dean since 1987. Before that, he was a faculty member at Harvard University's education school, and he has taught at the University of Washington, Stanford University, and the University of British Columbia. Hackney praised Lazerson last night, calling the selection "a wonderful appointment." He also said that as a dean who is involved in University-wide issues, Lazerson would be "an ideal person to step in." "[Lazerson] has been a terrific success in the School of Education," he added. "Very financially successful." Hackney also said Lazerson is potentially one of several strong candidates to be the next provost, although he declined to name others. Aiken also praised Lazerson's selection. "We have a very strong group of deans and he is one of several who can do the job," he said. "[He is] well-organized, [he] has vision . . . and I think he's an excellent choice for the [acting provost] position." Lazerson said last night that he was "pleased and excited" about his appointment, although he said that he was "a little in awe of the whole thing." "I think it will be fun," he added. Lazerson said one of the main issues he will have to confront as acting provost is a financial one. "How do you continue to build . . . when fiscal resources are diminishing?" he asked. "That's really the central issue facing every major university." Lazerson declined to speculate on his possible future appointment as provost. "I have no comment on that, since I haven't even gotten to the office yet," he said. Under Lazerson's tenure as dean, the Education School's sponsored research has jumped from $114,000 to over $7 million annually. The school is one of only two schools at the University -- along with the School of Social Work -- that is projecting a surplus for the end of the 1993 fiscal year. The school is projecting a $900,000 surplus. Lazerson graduated from Columbia in 1963 and earned a master's degree from Columbia in 1964. He received his doctorate in American history from Harvard in 1970. Lazerson could not be reached for comment last night. Staff Writer Cara Tanamachi contributed to this story.