Within the University, Bok was one of the first administrators to recognize the institutional racism in Harvard's construction unions and personally intervened in the construction of the new Law School classroom building to increase the number of black workers. When the unions balked, Bok took his case to Washington and conducted between his own spot checks on the construction site to insure that the blacks were being hired.

Because his accomplishments have been confined to the Law School, it is unclear what kind of reception he would get in the College. One liberal faculty member described him somewhat disdainfully as a "social-intellectual type," but admitted to a preference for Bok over nearly all other Harvard professors.

Should Harvard decide to look within the University for its next president, the biggest plus in Bok's favor is that he has few enemies. He manages to be personable and still maintain a sense of formality.

The one question that arises is over his relatively young age. It's the same question that was raised two and a half years ago at the Law School-and answered satisfactorily.

Robert D. Cross, 46, president of Swarthmore College:

The "but-who-ever-heard-of-Nathan-Pusey-either" candidate, with a twist. An obscure name to most undergraduates, Cross is both known and liked among Harvard Faculty members. When the Faculty Council met two weeks ago to consider professors and administrators outside of Harvard, Cross was highly praised.

A 1947 graduate of Harvard (and classmate of Corporation member Hugh Calkins), he took his masters and doctorate degrees in history here, taught for several years at Swarthmore and later at Columbia where he served three years as chairman of the history department. In 1967, he resigned to become president of Hunter College in New York and took the presidency of Swarthmore in June, 1969.

By all objective criteria, he is an established history scholar: an author of two books, editor of another anthology, and a man who once turned down a professorship in the Harvard History department. Petty Faculty jealousies over the appointment of a non-Harvard academic would most likely not arise were he to become The Man.

At Swarthmore, Cross has also weathered his share of campus turmoil. If the Corporation is thinking that a man needs a little battle-seasoning before he hits the beaches of Cambridge, Cross has logged enough hours of crisis time to be moderately if not highly acceptable. After each he has also come out looking human.

He took over at Swarthmore just a few months after former president Courtney Smith died of a heart attack during a black students' sit-in. The main issue was black admissions and one of Cross's first acts was to carry through on the university's promise to increase black enrollment.

Last Fall, there was a second sit-in demanding a black cultural center at the otherwise quiescent Quaker campus. The sit-in ended peacefully. The center is opening this term.

Politically, Cross is considered non-political, but liberal. He signed the university presidents' telegram to President Nixon last Spring and was the only college administrator named to the American Association of University Professors committee investigating the Kent State and Jackson State murders.

Although Swarthmore did not cancel classes during the student strike last Spring (a position many Faculty members now admire) and voted down the Princeton Plan, Cross did encourage canvassing and work-study sessions through that period, and allowed professors to delay exams if they wished.

"He's easy-going and informal with students," one Swarthmore administrator said. "At Swarthmore at least, it's easy for him to remain visible. You don't need long appointments to see him and he doesn't stand on formality."

His experience as a college administrator, however, has been primarily with small student bodies. At Hunter College, for instance, he used to hold "brown bag lunches" every week where students could meet with him informally and chat over their peanut butter and jelly.