Now nearing the sixth month of their search for a new president, Yale University officials say they are just starting to narrow their list of candidates, even though at least one source said the announcement would likely come sooner than expected.

At a news conference last week, search committee chair and Yale Corporation member Robert Lynn announced that more than 370 names and 1,000 pieces of correspondence had been submitted to the committee.

Nearly 700 members of Yale community, including students, met individually with the committee to discuss their hopes for the university.

"This is not something that has ever been done in a Yale University presidential search before," said Yale's Director of Public Affairs Martha K. Matzke. "Basically, they have finished the canvass of opinion and are moving into the second phase of the search to look more closely at the many names that have been suggested."

But while Yale officials are not willing to comment on specifics of their search--or even suggest a timetable for its progress--one source familiar with university searches said that he thinks an appointment is not far off, perhaps even imminent.

The source said that at least four individuals--including three insiders and an outsider--are potentially serious contenders for the post.

They include Yale's current provost Judith Rodin, former provost William Brainard, Yale Law School Dean Guido Calabresi and Wellesley College President Nannerl Keohane, the wife of Harvard's Stanfield Professor of International Peace Robert O. Keohane.

The source also said that two candidates who have attracted attention, President Bush and Sen. David Boren (D-Okla.), are not serious contenders.

But Yale officials vigorously deny that theyare so close to a final selection. The officialsrefuse to identify or comment on specificcandidates, acknowledging simply that thecommittee will seriously consider only a fractionof the names presented.

"My lips are sealed," said corporation memberand author Calvin M. Trillin.

No Specific Profile

In fact, officials will not even identify whatspecific features they are looking for in apotential president.

"The committee itself has been unwilling tooffer a profile of the characteristics the nextpresident should have," Matzke said.

"The community seems to be very eager to havesomeone who will be a good communicator, who willbe a very able symbolic representative of theexcellence of the Yale academic core, and who willbe deeply involved in strengthening the attributesthat make this institution...a very special partof academic, intellectual and cultural history,"she added.

Still, there are some qualities that the searchcommittee will inevitably look for in a potentialpresident including respected scholarship and theability to fundraise.

"Any university would dearly love to have aphilosopher-king type of leader who can charmmoney out of trees and represent the intellectuallife of a university," Matzke said. "I think thecommunity would like to have someone who's verycomfortable being a part of the community, engagedin its everyday life."