The police department, however, is only one of the many University domains that Steiner has overseen since he was appointed general counsel in 1970 by then-President Pusey.

As the University's chief legal advisor and one of its top administrators, since then Steiner has worked on a broad range of topics, including federal investigations, dental benefit programs and conflict-of-interest policies.

In fact, Steiner, 57, who announced last month that he plans to step down from his post at the end of the 1991-92 academic year, says he thinks it is quite likely that his has been "one of the best legal jobs in the country."

"There's a tremendous range of interesting problems," he says.

Although the nature of his legal work has not changed considerably over the years, Steiner's administrative responsibilities have shifted and expanded.

For a number of years, Steiner, who has held the title of vice president since 1982, was in charge of employee relations and personnel. He subsequently supervised Harvard Real Estate for several years.

He has also played a key role in setting University policy on a number of controversial issues, including relations with U.S. intelligence agencies and scientific misconduct regulations.

And the general counsel's office has grown substantially during Steiner's tenure here, from one lawyer to 12. This group, which has been at times compared in expertise to a professional urban law firm, now does almost all of the work that used to go to outside specialists.

Government Regulation

Steiner notes that the University's relationship with the federal government has changed significantly during his time here, saying, "We're much more highly regulated now than we were 20 years ago."

In the last two decades, Steiner points out, the federal government has passed scores of new laws regulating health and safety rules, discrimination, security, drugs, alcohol and taxes at American universities.

Steiner and his staff have also worked with other University officials in handling the numerous lengthy federal investigations that Harvard has undergone in recent years.

"We [in the general counsel's office] do try to make certain that the University acts both in accordance with the law and in some higher sense, in a moral way; in a range of problems," he says."

Vice President for Finance Robert H. Scott describes Steiner as a conscientious investigator and thoughtful problem-solver, particularly in the area of federal investigations. He does more than merely defend the University, Scott says, he tries to understand and solve its problems.

Sense of Purpose