But the studies of a number of other countries are underfunded. The Department of Wonderland is struggling. There is no one to teach classes in the Narnian Language Department. And there are no visiting scholars from Xanadu.

The national backgrounds or intellectual interests of Harvard's donors have the potential to distort the allocation of funds among Harvard's various academic disciplines. Even a persistent pattern of small donations could unfairly benefit one department over another.

In many ways, then, the need to remain vigilant will never disappear.

"[When considering academic gifts] one is much more cautious, because of the need for the shape of the Faculty to be determined by the Faculty and not, as it were, by the interests of others," says Jeremy R. Knowles, Dean of the Faculty.

Which Part of 'No' Didn't You Get?

In the spring of 1995, Yale University did something extraordinary--something that most people would never expect a fund-hungry Ivy League college of the 1990s to do. They turned money down. Big money.

According to the school's daily newspaper, Lee Bass, a 1979 alumnus, was prepared to grant $20 million to Yale for programs on Western civilization, but the gift was contingent on one thing--that he have a say in selecting faculty members.

At the time, Dean Richard Brodhead told the Yale Daily News that he was reluctant to set a precedent that would allow donors to influence academics. Yale faculty members supported Yale University President Richard Levin, saying that universities had to maintain the ability to direct academics.