March says she thinks Radcliffe's undergraduate role may soon be extraneous.

"As Harvard becomes more able to take care of its women students in exactly the same way as it has historically taken care of its male students, Radcliffe will be needed less and less, and it may be that that time is just around the corner," she says, adding that most female undergraduates never make use of Radcliffe.

Those who do, however, say it is invaluable.

Kerrien L. Rollins '98, who has participated in programs such as the Association of Black Radcliffe Women and the Women's Leadership Project, says the encouragement she has gained from alumni and fellow students at Radcliffe is validating.

"Radcliffe is definitely needed in the lives of undergraduate women," she says. "It helps me grow as a women and as a student, and that's something I've never had at a Harvard alumni event."

Megan L. Peimer '97, former president of Radcliffe Union of Students, echoes Rollins' sentiment.

"If Radcliffe stepped back from women undergraduates' lives, there would be a huge void which no one would step in to fill," she says.

Knowles says he believes that Radcliffe's contributions are important, especially at the graduate level, even if Harvard fulfills its responsibilities to women.

"Harvard should do what it should do, and then Radcliffe becomes something extra, something splendid and extra," he says.

And according to March, Radcliffe's post-graduate programs will always be meaningful and well-supported.

"We are the only unit in the country that has institutes for advanced study uniquely focused on women's work, [on] scholarship executed by women," she says. "[The fact that] women continue to need that kind of support and that kind of colleagueship from women is abundantly clear by the competition that we have from women looking to get into our institutes."

Wilson says she is hopeful that the relationship between Harvard and Radcliffe will become more cooperative.

"The fact that the doors have opened at Harvard doesn't mean Radcliffe's role is done," she says, adding that Radcliffe offers a wealth of women role models and that its multidisciplinary, intergenerational approach to education provides a useful balance to Harvard's approach.

Yet Wilson's optimism is tempered by the fact that Radcliffe often finds itself dwarfed by Harvard's shadow.

As the two institutions move towards collaboration, Harvard must be careful that it is not "inadvertently stepping on the little partner," she says.