Until yesterday, many University officials had said they thought an acting president would replace Horner for at least one semester.

But trustees said last night that the search committee held several meetings in March and April to discuss other potential candidates for the post. Wilson's name was first put forward during those meetings, sources said last night. One official said her candidacy was discussed only after Rodin had declined the post.

Wilson, when contacted at the Sheraton-Commander Hotel in Cambridge last night, refused comment on the appointment. In town with her husband, Paul Smith, Wilson referred questions to the Board of Trustees.

Horner said last night that Wilson will attend this afternoon's press conference.

Uncertain Future

When Wilson takes over the Radcliffe post on July 1, she will have to guide a school that has changed dramatically in the years since Horner was chosen. During Horner's tenure, Radcliffe has ceded control of undergraduate life--academic and residential--to Harvard, while more than doubling its endowment and expanding its research programs.

Most observers credit Horner with making the school one of the nation's foremost research institutions for women by building up Radcliffe's scholarly programs--the Bunting Institute, the Murray Research Center and the Schlesinger Library.

But Wilson will have to contend with reevaluating the course for Radcliffe established during Horner's years at the college, Radcliffe affiliates have said.

Although most trustees contacted last night refused comment on Wilson, they said throughout the lengthy search process that the choice of the new president would mark a turning point for Radcliffe.

"The choice of which issues are the most important and the choice of a new president are connected because the new president will be the dominant figure in shaping Radcliffe in the next several years," Menzel Professor of Astrophysics David Layzer, who sat on the search committee, said last month.

But students, faculty and administrators have been divided over what kind of role the new Radcliffe president should have at Harvard.

While some have said they thought the new president should be a scholar who would actively engage in undergraduate life, other Radcliffe affiliates have said that fundraising ability should be the new president's main qualification. Many also stressed the importance of picking a president known for speaking out on women's issues.

But despite concern that the new president press for increased women faculty hiring and other Harvard-related women's issues, many students and administrators expressed doubts about the Radcliffe president's authority within the University to effect any concrete changes.

Radcliffe Union of Students Treasurer Serena Y. Volpp '92 has said that a professor who is a tenured member of the faculty would "ultimately be the best" to fulfill such a mandate.

And Layzer said in an earlier interview, "It is very important that the new president be a person of high scholarly reputation. The president will be able to accomplish her objectives more effectively if she commands respect."