Although it certainly wasn't Hollywood, President Neil L. Rudenstine got a taste of stardom last night when he appeared on public television.

Rudenstine talked about a wide range of issues facing higher education in the half hour interview, broadcast last night on WGBH-TV.

The interview, conducted by Christopher Lydon, is the first episode of a new series that interviews notable people in the Boston area.

Coincides With Inauguration

WGBH broadcast the interview to coincide with Rudenstine's inauguration tomorrow, according to University spokesperson Peter Costa.

Rudenstine spoke on the issues facing higher education and Harvard. One of Harvard's biggest challenges is to find a way to get its individual schools to work closer together, he said.

"A lot of institutions have been getting so large that we have to find a way to knit them together," Rudenstine said.

Lydon complimented Rudenstine on his success and told the former Princeton University provost, "your accomplishments make a lot of middle aged men feel inadequate."

Lydon also asked Rudenstine if he had ever failed at anything.

The president responded that he had missed the tea for first-year students this fall, which had upset a lot of people including himself.