Princeton Eyes Skocpol; Final Offer Still Pending

A controversial Harvard sociologist may continue her odyssey through academia as the Princeton politics department voted last week to extend an offer to her, scholars at both schools said yesterday.

Princeton's department of politics last Thursday voted to offer Professor of Sociology Theda R. Skocpol a permanent post, but the offer still awaits final approval from the university, said Harvard sociology department Chairman Aage B. Sorensen.

A sociologist at Princeton confirmed that the politics department there has decided to bid for Skocpol, a political sociologist. Skocpol is currently out of the country and could not be reached for comment.

Diane Price, assistant to the chairman of the politics department at Princeton, said, "It is university policy not to discuss pending decisions."

While Sorensen said he has not discussed the possible offer with Skocpol, he added, "Her husband lives in Princeton, and she has said in the past one of the prime forces moving her career decisions was to move close to Princeton. I would think it [the offer] would be attractive." William Skocpol, the sociologist's husband, is a physicist at Bell Labs near Princeton.

Sorensen said that if Skocpol went toPrinceton, "her contributions to sociology wouldbe a loss to the department."

Sorensen added that Skocpol may be reluctant tomake the move from a sociology department to apolitics department.

However, scholars contacted yesterday said thatthe line between Skocpol's specialty and politicalsociology is "almost non-existent."

Sorenson said that Dean of the Faculty A.Michael Spence would negotiate any counter offersthat Harvard might make to Skocpol.

Ongoing Drama

If Skocpol decides to make the move toPrinceton, it will be the latest act in an ongoingdrama involving Skocpol and the academic world.

The story began when Skocpol was denied tenureat Harvard in 1980 and filed a sexualdiscrimination grievance against the University.After finding her tenure review "sloppy anddisorganized" but not discriminatory, PresidentDerek C. Bok granted her a permanent post fouryears later, said Professor of Sociology James A.Davis, who was chairman of the sociologydepartment when Skocpol filed the grievance.

Skocpol--who had accepted a tenured post at theUniversity of Chicago after leavingHarvard--received an offer from the University ofCalifornia at Berkeley soon after Harvard extendedits invitation. Skocpol told Berkeley that shewould accept a lifetime post there, but thenspurned California in favor of Cambridge.

Since returning to Harvard, Skocpol's relationswith her colleagues have been strained. In aspeech before the American SociologicalAssociation last year, she referred to her tenurebattle with Harvard as a "many-year game ofchicken with the leaders of the most arrogantuniversity in the world."

Soon after arriving at Harvard, Skocpol becameembroiled in a number of acrid disputes with hercolleagues including a public debate in the pagesof the "Chronicle of Higher Education," followinga profile of her in the weekly journal.

In a letter regarding the Skocpol profile,Social Studies Chairman David Landes referred to"repeated instances of calculated rudeness to hercolleagues before and since coming" to Harvard.

At the time, Professor of Sociology OrlandoPatterson told the Crimson, "Skocpol is nottalking to anyone in the department now. There aretwo camps. There are all of us and thisprofessor."

Princeton Sociologist Paul Starr, who wasdenied tenure at Harvard in a controversialdecision in 1985, said he was not disturbed bySkocpol's difficulties with her Harvard colleaguesand supported the department of politics vote.

"She's a major figure and a controversial oneand she deals with the larger issues that facesociety," Starr said. "The question is whetherpeople take up important questions and saysubstantial things about them and she does that.