While a formal search to fill a soon-to-be vacant post on the seven-man Harvard Corporation has not yet begun, several University officials said they expect female and minority candidates to receive high consideration for the spot.

In past years, both women and minorities have been on the final lists of candidates for the rare openings on Harvard's top governing body, but none has ever joined the self-perpetuating corporation in its 337-year history.

The formation of a search committee to replace the 70 year-old Andrew Heiskell, who has served on the body since 1979, was postponed pending the return of the vacationing President Bok, an ex officio member of the Corporation.

The former chairman of Time Magazine said he will retire from the Corporation within the year. But officials said a timetable has yet to be set for the selection process.

The search process is conducted by a small subcommittee of the Corporation, which solicits suggestions from the 30 members of the Board of Overseers and other officials. A final choice is then sent to the Board for approval.

The announcement of Heiskell's departure, confirmed in February, has opened up wide-ranging speculation overpossible successors. While the names which havesurfaced so far include a broad spectrum of publicand private figures, officials say unusualattention will be given to women and minorities.

"A woman has been discussed a number of times,"former University Treasurer and Corporation memberGeorge Putnam said in a recent interview. "Thereare always women on the list."

In recent years, one woman, whom administratorshave declined to identify, was offered a spot onthe Corporation. The woman declined to accept thepost.

When longtime Corporation member Hugh Calkins'45 announced plans to leave the Board two yearsago, the last time a spot was made available,officials say the search for a woman was alsointense.

"Last time, they were looking for a woman. Theylooked very hard at that," Overseers PresidentSamuel C. Butler '51 said in a recent interview."A female will be high" on this year's list,Butler said.

Geyser University Professor Henry Rosovsky waschosen to fill Calkins' spot. Some officialsspeculate that the strength of Rosovsky'scandidacy may have precluded selecting a woman forthe post.

Rosovksy, who is a former dean of the Faculty,has said in the past that he personally favors awoman or minority on the governing board. Therenowned economist has said, however, that theCorporation does not search for members of"constituency groups" because of the small size ofthe body.

Several officials have named former OverseersPresident Joan T. Bok '51, as a possible candidatefor the Corporation. Joan Bok, who is no relationto Derek Bok, is the chairman of New EnglandElectric.

But some overseers close to the selectionprocess have said that Joan Bok's chances may havebeen damaged by her role in last year's overseerselection. At the request of President Derek Bok,she wrote a controversial letter to Harvard alumnithat said the election of "single-issue"candidates to the overseers might change thenature of the Board. The letter met with strongcriticism from some alumni.

Also mentioned by several sources as a strongminority candidate is former U.S. TransportationSecretary William T. Coleman Jr. Coleman, now apracticing lawyer and a member of the Harvard'sBusiness School Visiting Committee, was highlyplaced in past searches for Corporation members.

Other possible candidates mentioned includeformer Secretary of the Army Clifford Alexander, aWashington attorney, and Donald M. Stewart,president of the College Board which administersthe Scholastic Aptitude Tests (SAT). Both Stewartand Alexander are Black.

Another possible candidate named is MariannaWhitman, a professor at Carnegie MellonUniversity, and a former overseer.

In the past, new Corporation appointments haveoften been drawn from former overseer. BothHeiskell and Colman M. Mockler served as Presidentof the Overseers prior to their service on theCorporation