Salaries are nice, but NYU officials pin theirsuccess in attracting faculty on the developmentof a myriad of innovative academic programs.

"People do feel very good about this placebecause the school has been supportive aboutfaculty growth and programs," says Oscar G. Chase,vice dean and professor of law at NYU.

With an aggressive effort to tap into thewealth of alumni, Sexton has been able to initiateseveral attractive projects: $5 million for theGlobal Law program, another $5 million toestablish the Center on Innovation in a GlobalEconomy and $100 million to start a tuition poolthat would make an NYU legal education completelyfree.

"The dean at NYU has done a good job ofbuilding resources," says Harvard Professor of LawLawrence Lessig, who says he was drawn to Harvardby a research center on the laws of the Internet.

The NYU law school is, of course, not thebroad-ranging academic power Harvard is, but itssuccess is still a scary example for those likeHarvard seeking to maintain prestige across theboard.

Slipping Away?

Examining Harvard's government department islike looking at the other side of the coin: seniorFaculty are being tempted by a Stanford departmentwilling to spend more on academic perks.

Thomson Professor of Government Morris P.Fiorina Jr. announced last month that he isleaving for Stanford. Professor of Government andof Sociology Theda Skocpol is seriouslyconsidering an offer from the same school as isShattuck Professor of Government Paul E. Peterson,who says he and Stanford have "chatted."

Then come the caveats. Skocpol has not made anydefinite decisions. Peterson's fate is still up inthe air. And it is not unusual for Harvard Facultyto have outstanding offers from other schools.

But this case is unique because the competingschool is so aggressive and its offers are takenso seriously. Only a handful of senior governmentFaculty have left in the past two decades.

Stanford's success in this case appears to takeadvantage of perceptions within the departmentthat Harvard does not give its governmentprofessors enough academic support.

"Harvard's view is Faculty should use theHarvard name to provide their own [researchfunding]," says Fiorina, who does not blame hisown departure on any Harvard failing.

Fiorina is careful to say it was not a salaryincrease which made him switch coasts. But atStanford, he will work in the Hoover Institute onWar, Revolution and Peace--cutting his teachingload in half and devoting his attention to aprestigious research center.

Skocpol says she too might leave Harvardin search of a more generous school which requiresher to spend less time on fundraising.

"It's a big time drain, and I wouldn't have todo as much at another university which provided mewith more support," Skocpol says. "Stanford seemsto be taking aggressive steps to improve itspolitical science department."