Rudenstine said yesterday that it should takebetween 30 and 60 days for lawyers to work out afinal, legally binding agreement.
"It's really just a technical matter fromhere," he said.
Among the principles announced yesterday is anagreement that female undergraduates will now beadmitted to Harvard College only, not Radcliffe.
The signing of a legal contract at anunspecified future date would end Radcliffe'sstatus as an independent institution. Since 1977,Radcliffe has maintained its own land, endowmentand an administrative structure answerable only toits own Board of Trustees.
Under the new proposal, all of that willchange. The Board of Trustees will cease to exist.Radcliffe's land--more than 20 acres of primeCambridge real estate--and buildings will befolded into the University. Harvard will then ownthe Radcliffe Quadrangle and continue to useCabot, Currier and Pforzheimer Houses asundergraduate residences.
Harvard will contribute $150 million toRadcliffe's present endowment to form a $350million dowry for the new Institute. $50 millionof those funds will be used to supportundergraduate financial aid for both men andwomen.
As head of a "tub"--the University's term forentities like the graduate schools and the Facultyof Arts and Sciences--the dean of Radcliffe willnot have the formal consulting power regarding thewelfare of female undergraduates that Wilson hastechnically enjoyed as president.
But some hope that, as a full member of theUniversity's inner circle rather than a naggingneighbor, Radcliffe will now have the power toaffect real change for Harvard's women--studentsand faculty.
Radcliffe Vice President for College RelationsBonnie R. Clendenning noted the new Institute willnot be Harvard's smallest division.
"We might have some clout," Clendenning said.
The future of the Radcliffe College AlumnaeAssociation (RCAA) remains in flux following theagreement. Radcliffe College currently funds theRCAA, and leaders for both Harvard and Radcliffesaid yesterday that the organization's funding hasnot yet been discussed.
Yet, Radcliffe officials took steps to preventthe outpouring of alumnae anger that erupted afternews first surfaced last spring that the twoschools were in negotiations about Radcliffe'sfuture.
Administrators have maintained a vow of secrecyin the last few weeks in efforts to prevent newsof the deal from leaking before a fullannouncement. In addition, Radcliffe sent morethan 30,000 individual letters announcing the dealto its alumnae yesterday morning