"He runs the Treasury much like a partnership," Levy says. "He wants to bring everyone into the room."

Ullman also notes Rubin's "thoughtful, quiet nature" and his ability to keep his "ego from clouding his judgment."

An Academic All-Star

Rubin's return to Harvard represents a homecoming of sorts.

Born in New York City on August 29, 1938, he was raised in Miami Beach, Fla. and enrolled in the College in the fall of 1956.

A former resident of Winthrop House who listed his extracurricular activities as soccer, squash and the Hillel Society, Rubin earned an A.B. in economics.

His thesis on "Inflation and Its Relationship to Economic Development in Brazil" demonstrated an early interest in macroeconomic issues and earned him a summa cum laude degree from the department.

Thomas Schelling, a former professor of economics at Harvard and now distinguished professor of economics and public policy at the University of Maryland, served as Rubin's thesis adviser. He recalls that Rubin "was very bright, very confident and didn't need any help."

Although Rubin never attended HBS, he enrolled at Harvard Law School in 1960, but promptly withdrew after only a few days on campus.

"Bob never liked law," Levy says.

His apparent aversion to the legal profession notwithstanding, Rubin resumed his studies at Yale Law School after studying abroad at the London School of Economics.

He received his LL.B. in 1964, parlaying his diverse academic experience into an associate's position with the New York City law firm of Cleary, Gottlieb, Stern and Hamilton.

Two years in the legal world was enough for Rubin, however, as he once again turned his attention away from the law to pursue a career with the Wall Street investment bank, Goldman, Sachs and Co.

A World of Pin Stripes

Turning his attention to the high-reward world of investment banking, Rubin entered under the tutelage of Gus Levy, a Goldman, Sachs expert in the field of risk arbitrage.