A member of Harvard's governing Corporation will retire later this spring, leaving the first vacancy in two years on the University's equivalent of a board of trustees.

Francis H. Burr, a member of the seven-man Corporation for 28 years, said in a press release yesterday that he will leave this spring to devote more time to his duties on several other corporation boards and to his position as a senior law partner in Harvard's consulting law firm, Repos and Gray.

The Corporation, which meets every other week, has final say on most matters of University finance and administrative policy.

Its six remaining members will institute a search and choose Burr's replacement probably within a year, Fred L. Glimp, vice president of the University for development and alumni affairs said yesterday.

In a statement released yesterday, Bok said a replacement member should have experience in different fields, knowledge of business and financial affairs, a concern for higher education and a great deal of time to commit to the University.

Andrew Heiskell, a Corporation member said last night that Burr's replacement should be somewhat different from the other four non University members, but that he did not know if the Corporation would consider selecting a woman or a minority. We don't want quintuplets," he said.

Other members of the Corporation said yesterday it was important that Burr's replacement be a Bostonian because of the current members only President Bok and University Treasurer George Putnam live in the area.

A separate committee composed of Glimp and Robert Shenton, secretary to the Corporation, will help gather names for Burr's replacement, but the Corporation will make the final decision Glimp said he and Shenton would begin considering applicants as soon as names start coming in," and would choose a replacement as quickly as possible.

A source close to the Corporation also said last night it was impossible to estimate how long the search for a new member would take "Sometimes it has taken only a few weeks and sometimes several months."

Corporation members said the rate of turnover varies, but that the last appointment was two years ago, when Heiskell replaced John Morton Blum, a Yale professor.