The Russian Research Center is one suchexample.

Marshall I. Goldman, the center's associatedirector, readily concedes that academic officialssee the committees as a way to bring interesteddonors closer to their projects.

"If people have given money to the center wetry to get them involved," Goldman says.

That's exactly what happened at the RussianResearch Center recently. As soon as Ernest E.Monrad '51 spent $1 million to endow aprofessorship at the Center, he was put on its19-member, Overseer-appointed visiting committee.

And Monrad's experience is far from unique.

Almost every academic school, department orresearch center in the University has its ownadvisory committees. Often, past or potentialdonors make up larger portions of these bodiesthan of the visiting committees.

"People who care about the place enough to givea lot of money are interested enough to be on acommittee, too," says Robert N. Shapiro '72, vicepresident of the Harvard Alumni Association.

But such logic has drawn negative publicity forHarvard at least once before. Two years ago, aproposed deal between the Kennedy School ofGovernment and a Texas couple prompted a period ofUniversity introspection about the ethics offundraising when the terms were disclosed: inexchange for a $500,000 donation, the couple waspromised "Officer of the University" status andseats on two Kennedy School advisory committees.

Despite the criticism of the arrangement, thepractice of placing donors on advisory committeescontinues, according to those familiar withHarvard fundraising. And, particularly in schoolswith few wealthy alumni such as the Kennedy Schooland the Graduate School of Design (GSD), thoseadvisory committees are instrumental in helping tocreate affiliations between potential givers andthe programs which need to be funded.

"If you bring them closer, then they'reprobably more likely to be big supporters in theend," says Vice President for Alumni Affairs andDevelopment Fred L. Glimp '50.

And GSD Dean Gerald M. McCue says thatsubstantial givers on can often become involved inpolicy making through advisory committees.

"We look to them for ideas, not just financialsupport," McCue says.

Despite the financial benefits of sucharrangements, Harvard's administrators say they'vetaken steps to ensure that fundraising doesn'taffect policy.

McCue is quick to add that administrators arecareful not to let financial generosity overwhelmacademic issues.

Says one Harvard alumni fundraiser, "In someways the University is very circumspect aboutthat. If you were a big funder and tried to sayyou didn't like such-and-such, you'd get the coldshoulder."