Provost Harvey V. Fineberg has issued a three-year plan for the Central Administration, which includes a set of priorities he terms "ambitious yet realistic" and a target of 3 percent average annual growth through FY2000. The plan was developed by a newly formed team which includes the five vice presidents and Central Administration's senior managers.

"The planning process focused on the leading administrative challenges that must be addressed for the center to achieve its mission over the next three years. Of course, progress in these areas will require close cooperation with faculty and staff across the University," said Fineberg. "This plan, which is subject to continual refinement in light of advice, experience, and changing circumstances, should reinforce pathways for such cooperative effort."

Fineberg also said that the 3 percent growth rate, essentially a no-growth budget, was a challenging target in an environment where such changes as increasing demand for core central services, or changing regulatory requirements could require new spending. Fineberg said the center recognizes the need to offset growth in some areas by continuing to realize economies in others, as well as by continually reexamining the balance of services between the Central Administration and the Faculties, and the mix of services provided inside and outside Harvard.

Fineberg emphasized the critical relationship between the "center" and the Faculties saying that the priorities outlined in the plan "have meaning and value only insofar as work toward their realization supports and advances the larger pursuit of academic excellence by the Faculties at Harvard. The Central Administration will depend on the counsel and collaborative engagement of colleagues across the University in moving these priorities forward, to ensure that the Central Administration effectively serves the interests of Harvard as a whole."

The Central Administration works to support and advance the University's pursuit of academic excellence in the following general ways:

* by fostering productive cooperation and collaboration on matters of concern to different parts of the University;

* by strengthening and protecting the University's resources -- financial, physical, technological, and human;

* by providing services that complement and reinforce the activities of the Faculties;

* by enabling consultative and informed methods of University governance and policymaking; and

* by representing and affirming the interests of Harvard as a whole, within the University and beyond.

The Central Administration's functions are many and varied. The activities encompass, for example, everything from convening meetings of the Governing Boards to processing payroll checks; from coordinating functions of the largest university library system in the world to reviewing and processing thousands of research grant applications; from soliciting major gifts to advising international students and scholars; from licensing technology and trademarks to promoting campus security; from representing Harvard's interests in government, community, and other forums, to helping ensure compliance with myriad government regulations. (For a full organizational chart, see www.provost.harvard.edu/ca_plan, which will be online by mid-December.)

The new strategic plan is the first integrated statement of leading objectives encompassing all major core components of the Central Administration. Through the development of the plan, the vice presidents and Provost have been working together in a more unified and strategic fashion. According to Provost Fineberg, this process has produced a higher degree of interaction among senior administrators than had previously been the case. "We are involved in changing the way we do business by moving to a more collaborative and coordinated model," said Fineberg.

Following are the Central Administration priorities for academic years 1997-98 through 1999-2000. With the help of administrators in the Central Administration and assistance from the administrative deans and other leaders in the Faculties, the plan will be revised and updated each year to incorporate input from the University community and changing circumstances.

Central Administration Plan Priorities

* Complete the University-wide campaign and sustain donor income streams to the University;

* Maintain public support for research, student aid, and other higher education priorities;

* Promote the recruitment, development, and retention of a highly qualified and diverse workforce;

* Oversee and encourage the progress of interfaculty initiatives and other cross-Faculty academic efforts;

* Coordinate University-wide planning in several key areas (information technology, libraries, physical space);

* Manage the implementation of Project ADAPT;

* Reexamine the Central Administration funding model; and

* Improve and streamline Central Administration services and functions.

Copies of the plan may be obtained from the Provost's Office or accessed via the Provost's Website in mid-December at www.provost.harvard.edu/ca_plan.