Some, like Princeton's Nell Irvin Painter, say they fear that Gates will be hampered by a University administration unwilling to fully sipport Afro-Am at Harvard.

"I hope he brings a lot of energy because he will need it," says Painter, an historian and acting director of the Afro-Am program at Princeton. "The problem is getting the kind of cooperation with the institution you need."

According to Painter, Gates will have a tough time getting the financial and moral support necessary to build a department. "Other places have done 10 times more. [Princeton] has a hundred times the visibility," she says.

Nobody attempts to downplay the difficulties Gates will face at Harvard. But most, Painter among them, say the scholar is up to the task.

"I think Skip really enjoys a challenge. I think he sees this as his ultimate challenge," says Painter. "Harvard has great potential. It is in the Hub, it is big--a perfect place for interdisciplinary studies. Everything is there. If I was an empire builder, I would see this as a perfect opportunity."

Others agree that the idea of building a whole department would appeal to Gates's sense of challenge. Harvard's Gomes says it is a rare occurance for a single scholar to be able to shape their field in quite that way. Gomes says that for Gates, Harvard is just that opportunity.

"I think he will come to Harvard because he sees an extraordinary opportunity to convert a promise into something good," says Gomes. "Few people have the opportunity to create a whole field in their own image."

But Harvard doesn't have a good track record in landing top scholars. Last year Afro-Am sought to tenure University of Wisconsin Professor Nellie Y. McKay and Princeton Religion Professors Cornel R. West '74 and Albert J. Raboteau. All three rejected Harvard's overtures.

But Gates, at 40, is one of the field's younger scholars, and some say that might make the difference.

"He is the youngest person to be offered tenure. Although he has done a great deal he is still in ascendance," Princeton's Rampersad says. "He is willing to take on the task of institution building when other people are not so willing. It is a measure of his self confidence. Others may flinch. He is ready, willing and able to take on the task."

Sources say that Gates sees Harvard as a "no lose" situation. If he does nothing the department can be no worse, if he does minimal work it will be a dramatic change and if he lives up to his potential and reputation, "the sky's the limit."

Perhaps one of the biggest draws Gates sees in Harvard is the presence of the DuBois Institute. Gates has been offered the program's directorship, as well as the promise of increased funding.

"The situation at Harvard is ideal. Harvard has a department--not just a committee--and the DuBois institute is already in place. It has an excellent track record and attracts outside funding. With the limitless potential of the DuBois institute Harvard is more attractive than any other place," says Rampersad.

The primary focus of the DuBois Institute is a fellowship program that brings in visiting senior and junior scholars. This year, the institute is sponsoring 17 individuals, including Gates--who is participating as a non-resident. The institute also supports conferences, working groups of scholars and the creation of Afro-American reference works.

Randall K. Burkett, associate director of the institute, is currently collaborating with Gates on Black Biographical Dictionaries, 1790-1950, a collection of biographies on 30,000 Black Americans.