CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (U-WIRE) -- Harvard President Neil L. Rudenstine announced Monday morning that he will leave the university at the end of this coming year.
While some said his announcement came suddenly, Rudenstine -- who has served as the university's president since 1991 -- emphasized the timeliness of the decision.
"It's exactly the right thing for the University. We start a new planning process," he said. "There's no advantage to be gained by postponing the beginning of that. It seems the right moment for Harvard."
His resignation comes at the conclusion of a six-year capital campaign, raising $2.6 billion, that has marked his tenure.
"He leaves the field with the bands all playing," said former Harvard President Derek Bok. "I congratulate him on a job well done."
Robert Stone, senior fellow of the Harvard Corporation, praised Rudenstine's commitment to the institution.
"Harvard has benefited immeasurably from Neil Rudenstine's wisdom, his humanity, his passion for learning, and his extraordinary leadership," Stone said in a press release.
While Rudenstine leaves behind a colorful legacy, he said two achievements most important to him personally are revitalizing Harvard's Afro-American program and seeing Harvard and Radcliffe come together in a way "that both institutions were happy about."
Rudenstine was also a major negotiator in the merger between Radcliffe College and Harvard, out of which came the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study.
Rudenstine said his goals for the following year are many, but still achievable.
"It would be nice to be able to get approval of the Knafel Center [for Government and International Study] and raise the money to build it," he said.
In addition, Rudenstine said he hopes to start work on a new University museum and continue to think about the larger issues of distance learning and globalization.
These larger issues, Rudenstine said, are going to be part of any Harvard agenda.
Vice President for Government, Community and Public Affairs Paul Grogan said University officials who work with Rudenstine have mixed feelings about his announcement but respect his decision to leave.
"It's a bitter sweet occasion because Neil is so well-liked and highly regarded," Grogan said.
Former Radcliffe president Linda S. Wilson said that Rudenstine has left an impressive legacy.
"We will look back on President Rudenstine's tenure as a decade of remarkable performance in every sphere," Wilson said. "The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study is the largest and newest of several major initiatives that Rudenstine has helped bring to fruition."
In addition to his work on the campaign, Rudenstine has been known for his attempts to make the University less decentralized, meeting regularly with all of the deans of Harvard's graduate schools.
The provost -- an office he reinstated during his tenure -- helps him provide leadership, is a deputy president when he is away, and serves as the other academic voice in Massachusetts Hall, which is largely occupied by administrators.
