"Neil Rudenstine is using [the deans] increasingly like a cabinet, [rather] than a group of people from different schools," Thompson says.

Such a move is symbolic of one of Rudenstine's favorite approaches: integrating initiatives across schools and faculties. Often, this means committees involve faculty members from across Harvard's schools, giving them a voice where once they had little -if any--say.

According to Thompson, there are University-wide committees on physical planning, information technology, research policy and intellectual property--all started within the past couple of years. Additionally, there is a subcommittee on the use of Harvard's name.

"There is much more of a faculty voice in University-wide decisions," Thompson says. "There's a need for it, since we are making decisions that affect academic priorities."

Administrators are also making a point of keeping new initiatives under Harvard's academic umbrella--running them through the schools instead of setting them up independently.

"You handle growth by making sure that the new activities have a home in an established school," Thompson says. "That's essential--and it's happening,"

HIID: A Case Study

Last week, a University task force recommended the Harvard Institute for International Development (HIID) be dissolved.