For that reason, Harvard must band together with other universities and nonprofit agencies to advance its cause. "It's very difficult currently to work on your own in much of anything," Nixon said.

Because lobbying for a university like Harvard is fraught with difficulties, loyal Congressional allies are especially important.

Kennedy's success in promoting the concerns of higher education is due in part to his effective negotiating skills, Harvard lobbyists said.

Education is not so much a matter of party politics as a matter of leadership, Kennedy spokesperson Jim P. Manley said. "Senator Kennedy has worked in a bipartisan fashion with both Democrats and Representatives on the Labor Committee," he said.

But Kennedy's endangered bid for reelection is not the only thing that puts Harvard's research in Jeopardy.

As Congress moves to slash federal budget deficits, it continues to cut spending for a variety of government programs including university research spending.

"In the years to come, discretionary funding for a whole host of programs is going to come under increasing pressure," Manley said.

For this reason, whether Kennedy loses his Senate seat or not, Harvard's future "doesn't look too bright," lobbyists said.

"I'd like to be encouraging, but I'm not sure I can be. If the budget remains as tight as it has been, and there's less and less to cut, it has to be more difficult," Nixon said.

If Kennedy loses, either Sen. Christopher J. Dodd (D-Conn.) or Sen. Nancy Landon Kassebaum (R-Kansas) will take his place as chair of the labor and human resources committee--depending on which party wins the Senate majority.

But administrators say a Kennedy defeat would have such dire consequences for Harvard that they have barely considered the possibility.

"We would lose such an important advocate for higher education," Nixon said. "I haven't let myself think about the implications of that yet.