At the Internet & Society 2000 conference, Clark delivered an opening address in which he spoke about his views on technology.

"I believe that one of the biggest effects of the Internet era will be the creations of new kinds of institutions that will allow us to pursue [higher education]," Clark said the remarks.

Such remarks are in keeping with Clark's reputation for taking business risks--and could make for an interesting University approach to technology should he become president.

Clark also spoke about the value of private gain versus social gain--not something one might expect from a businessperson, he noted.

He became the business school's eighth dean in fall of 1995. Shortly after his appointment, he brought e-mail to HBS for the first time.

He was said to have beaten out 50 others--including some from outside Harvard--for the spot. At the beginning of his tenure, the school had just switched from a semester system to a year-round structure and was changing its M.B.A. program.

Now snowy-haired and a shade under six feet, he is not unlike Fineberg in his manner of speaking. He comes across as deliberately conversational, smooth and well paced. He gestures widely. A sense of humor is apparent. He is polished and expressive.