Changes abound in Rodin's office

With the transition from one University president to another now complete, a different kind of transition has begun -- one that is sure to also shake up the Office of the President. Several officials within the president's office are unsure of their respective futures at the University because they serve in positions which are at the pleasure of the president. And since President Judith Rodin has been in office -- only a little more than a week -- there have already been changes, with at least one new official in, and one old official out. "I think that Dr. Rodin has a great deal of flexibility in terms of how she shapes her immediate staff and that's necessary," said Executive Director of the Office of the President Linda Hyatt. "It's part of the political reality of working in this office." Hyatt added that she is unaware of Rodin's long-term plans for the office. Rodin's first official appointment as president was Jean Morse, who was named deputy to the president. Morse, who said she is "very excited" about her new job, most recently served as the associate dean for administration of New York University's School of Law. But she also held several positions at the University between 1989 and 1993 -- including deputy associate dean of the School of Arts and Sciences and acting assistant provost. And, she is the wife of Stephen Morse, who is a professor in the Law School. Rodin said this week that Morse's principle duties will include carrying out many of the decisions made in the president's office and serving as Rodin's representative "on certain committees where before the president was really ex officio and not present." "I would like to play a more active participatory role and this is a way to spread myself around a bit," Rodin said. "It's the first of the changes I'll be making." Gone from the president's office is Nicholas Constan, an assistant to the president in the Sheldon Hackney and Claire Fagin administrations. Constan, who left his position July 1, would not comment on why he left or on his immediate future except to say that his future is still "to be determined." Constan is also an adjunct professor of legal studies. While Rodin said there are more changes forthcoming in both the president's and the provost's offices, no one is quite sure yet what those changes will entail or who they will affect. Other people working directly under Rodin include Executive Vice President Janet Hale, Vice President and Director of Planning John Gould, Executive Assistant Jodi Sarkisian, and Assistants to the President Valarie Swain-Cade McCoullum, Ira Harkavy and Stephen Steinberg.