"He's succeeded in doing a lot of the things at Rice he wanted to do," she says. "There's a feeling that his work is done here and he's ready to move on."

Other students have more specific theories about Rupp's candidacy.

"He's an alumnus, and he's got experience as a president," says Kurt Moeller, an editor of the Rice Thresher, the Rice University daily newspaper. Moeller also cites 48-year old Rupp's relative youth as a plus for the Harvard search committee, which wants a president to serve at least 10 to 20 years.

But Lon J. Wilson, professor of chemistry at Rice, says he is confident that Rupp will stay in Houston, citing his "15-year plan" for developing the university.

Student opinion on Rupp's presidency appears to be lukewarm, with some saying they have not developed enough of a relationship with him to grieve should he depart.

"Students don't feel much of a bond with him," says David Fisher, president of Richardson College, one of the residential colleges at Rice. "Students would probably not be disappointed to see him go. They wouldn't cheer him out the door either."

"He is an able administrator," says Spenser Yu, president of Rice's student government, "but he has a difficult time relating to students...To be honest, a lot of students think that Dr. Rupp is hard to approach."

Many faculty and students say they are pleased with Rupp's success in promoting Rice's reputation nationwide. In particular, they cite his success in making Rice the site of this summer's seven-nation economic summit.

One controversial issue at Rice has been the steady increase in tuition in recent years. Rupp has used the new money to develop graduate programs and bolster research efforts.

In fact, many contend that Rupp has tried to "Harvardize" Rice by building up graduate programs and implementing "foundation courses" in the undergraduate curriculum which closely resemble Harvard's Core Curriculum requirements.

"Some people connect the rise [in tuition] directly with Dr. Rupp," Yu said. "Some students were saying that Rupp is raising tuition to become more like Harvard. They say he wants to attract quality students with the money."

The Mood in Hanover

Students and faculty alike are deeply divided in their opinions of Dartmouth President Freedman.

Freedman has been embroiled in a much-publicized conflict with The Review. Accusing the staff of racism, sexism, homophobia and anti-Semitism, Freedman has criticized it for "dangerously affecting, in fact, poisoning the intellectual environment of our campus."

Many say that he is eager to leave Dartmouth to escape the constant headaches caused by the magazine.