The example of Harvard's proprietary security force--once 150 strong, and now employing slightly more than 20--is indicative of what can happen when market forces force a company to become competitive.

Although Pinkerton and Security Systems International (SSI), the two main security subcontractors in the Boston area, will not disclose how much they charge the University, officials and the guards themselves say the figure is around half of what the University would pay to employ its own guards.

And given that SSI trains its guards more extensively than the University, physical resource managers can make a compelling case that their guards will perform more effectively, too.

So when considering the market and when considering efficiency, perhaps subcontracting is justified.

But what if Harvard has an additional responsibility--a mission to treat all those who work on campus as if they were members of the learning community?

As one administration official notes, the stars of Harvard may be big-name professors but none could do their jobs without a huge network of support staff.

Part of the problem may lie in the culture of the University. Like many other institutions of higher learning, the size of Harvard's bureaucracy continues to grow as its own structural needs continue to diversify.