"Your school is very well represented in Congress," Leffler says.

$1,217,391

This is the amount of money Harvard must raise every day to keep pace in its five year, $2.1 billion capital campaign. When one considers that the University has completed nearly 80 percent of the Campaign in only three years, Harvard's phenomenal ability to raise money becomes apparent.

Last year, Harvard received more private support than any other university in the United States and placed seventh among all non-profits.

"Harvard is blessed with generous alumni," says Vice President for Alumni Affairs and Development Thomas M. Reardon.

This fundraising quest was at least partially responsible for Rudenstine's bout with exhaustion in 1994. Rudenstine, a master fundraiser, is reported to have expended Herculean amounts of energy wooing potential big donors and giving them more personal attention than one person--himself included--could endure.

The intensity of Harvard's campaign has also caused some to question which comes first--Harvard's academic priorities or its money.

For instance, during the Campaign the University has emphasized international fund raising. Provost Albert Carnesale has made four trips to Asia in recent years, many of the deans have traveled to Latin America and Rudenstine will go to Europe this summer.

And soon the University will construct a new center for international studies. Campaign brochures are replete with references to Harvard's desire "to extend and enrich the University-wide agenda in international and regional studies."

When asked if these developments were coincidental, Carnesale says, "We're very conscious of this and we always ask ourselves the question, 'Would we do this if there was no money involved?' If the answer is 'no,' we don't do it--finding the means to the ends and not transforming the ends."

But others aren't so convinced.

"We all engage in mirroring," says Ronald D. Margolin, an assistant vice president for development at Brown University. "I think ultimately we aren't doing the community a lot of service by running after every grant that comes along. I think you need to have the courage to say that isn't what we need."

$332.3 Million

During the last fiscal year, Harvard used this much of its $9.1 billion endowment to pay for operating expenses. While the endowment earned a 26 percent return, its best performance since 1986, the payout was only 3.65 percent, one of the lowest during the past 25 years.

There are some sound financial principles to support so low a payout, but some financial analysts--and top-ranking Harvard officials--say the University could spend more and still be good stewards of the endowment.