Particularly important in this process will be Charles P. Slichter '46, a professor at the University of Illinois who is the Corporation's senior member. The senior Fellow traditionally chairs Harvard's presidential search committee and has often acted as a king-maker of sorts.

Another probable king-maker on the Corporation--and also, some say, a possible king--is Geyser University Professor Henry Rosovsky. Rosovsky is the consummate Harvard insider, having served as dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and holding a prestigious University Professorship as well as a seat on the Corporation. He is also the ultimate Harvard loyalist, and is famous for turning down the presidency of Yale in 1977 in order to keep his Harvard deanship.

Although some observers think that at 62, Rosovsky is too old to be considered in the presidential search, others say the Corporation is ready to reward his loyalty with the greatest gift it has to bestow. Rosovsky also proved this year that he had "the vision thing" by publishing a well-received book on the issues facing modern universities.

The other members of the Corporation are, perhaps appropriately enough, corporate types: one is chairman and CEO of the Gillette Co., one a member of numerous corporate boards, one a management consultant and one a Washington, D.C. lawyer. All are white; it was only the year ago that the Corporation--which appoints its own members--named a woman to its ranks for the first time.

If it's diversity you're looking for, you'll have better luck with the Board of Overseers, the larger of Harvard's two top governing boards. The 30 overseers, who are elected by Harvard alumni, include South African Archbishop Desmond M. Tutu, who was elected last year on a pro-divestment ticket despite all the best efforts of the Harvard establishment.

The overseers' diversity comes at a high cost, however. Originally founded in the 17th century as a group of ministers that was supposed to make sure the Corporation toed the Puritan party line, the Board now has little power and meets only five times a year. Things have been more exciting recently, however, as a pro-divestment alumni group, the Harvard-Radcliffe Alumni Against Apartheid, has elected several dissident members to the Board, including Tutu.

While the overseers have lots of historic prestige, but no power, there's another group here that has little prestige, but lots of power.

These are Bok's lieutenants, the skillful executive types who were brought in droves in the 1970s and were quickly dubbed "Mass Hall's men in gray" by The Crimson. A few of the men in gray have been replaced by women in navy blue, but symbolically, at least, the moniker still holds.

The paragon of this type, perhaps, is Vice President and General Counsel Daniel Steiner '54. As Harvard's top attorney and all-around troubleshooter, Steiner does much of Bok's dirty work. Whether Bok is assailed by the slings and arrows of student activists, fractious alumni, or unionizing employees, Steiner is often sent out to absorb the worst of the fire.

And when some insolent vassal dares challenge the sovereignty of America's premier university--as did the U.S. Justice Department last summer when it launched an investigation of Harvard's admission and financial aid practices--Steiner and his team of crack lawyers are the ones delegated to put them in their place.

Harvard Yard's main liaison to Capitol Hill, however, is Vice President for Government and Community Affairs John Shattuck. A former executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, Shattuck has sparred with the Reagan and Bush administrations for such just causes as more federal financial aid and freer access to classified information.

Closer to home, Shattuck is the University's representative to the citizens of Cambridge, who don't always take kindly to the ever-expanding academic empire in their midst.

Another stout retainer whose position has become increasingly important is Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development Fred L. Glimp '50. It's no accident that the administrator who deals with alumni is the same one who's in charge of development (a higher-education code word for fundraising). For, as Harvard graduates soon learn, their financial obligation to their alma mater doesn't end as soon as they've paid off the last penny of interest on that $80,000. They are expected to keep the cash flowing for the rest of their long and (by the grace of God and a Harvard diploma) prosperous lives.

It's Glimp who is responsible for making sure that each son and daughter of Mother Harvard gets enough letters and phone calls from Mom to keep the cash flowing. That task takes on crucial importance as the University gears up to launch its reported $2 billion fund drive soon.

Besides raking in even more cash, an important job for Harvard administrators is managing the $5 billion that the University already has. The official responsible for this is Vice President for Finance Robert Scott. Until two years ago, Scott was vice president for administration, a spot now filled by Sally Zeckhauser, Harvard's first woman vice president.