The search committee, seeking a replacement for Hale Champion, former financial vice president, has received several hundred applications for the post and hopes to begin interviewing applicants within a few weeks, Joe B. Wyatt, vice president for administration, said yesterday.

Champion left Harvard in January to become Undersecretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. President Bok immediately appointed Thomas O'Brien, then director of financial systems, to serve as acting financial vice president.

The three-member search committee would like to find a permanent successor to Champion before the next academic year begins but Bok has not set a deadline for the committee, Daniel D. Cantor, director of personnel administration and a committee member, said yesterday.

O'Brien, who applied for the post, is a "strong internal candidate" for the permanent position, but the committee is actively soliciting other applicants, including women and members of minority groups, Cantor said.

Inside Out

After reviewing all the applicants, the committee may recommend O'Brien for the position but the University is not necessarily seeking an insider, Wyatt said.

"This is a legitimate open search and we are actively pursuing candidates," Cantor said.