Rudenstine said the University has said it willappropriate some its own funds to offset any dipsin donations over the next few years. Rudenstinesaid he is confident that by then a steady streamof new supporters will have emerged.

"I think they've run a good ship," he said."Many new donors will be interested in this kindof institution."

But Mary Maples Dunn, incoming interim head ofRadcliffe, said specifics for short-termdevelopment are still up in the air.

"For fundraising, we now have a process," saidthe former president of Smith College. "But wedon't have definite agreements. We don't have adetailed agreement as to who goes after whichclasses and so on"--no small matter, since Harvardis currently barred from soliciting funds fromRadcliffe's pre-1977 graduates.

Radcliffe will now be able to draw on thefundraising prowess of Harvard's developmentoffice and Rudenstine himself, who said that "theUniversity will begin aggressively raising fundsfor the Institute right away."

At Tuesday's press conference, Rudenstinejokingly invited the assembled reporters andphotographers to make donations immediatelyfollowing the event.

And Radcliffe officials said, so far, theannouncement seems to be encouraging enthusiasticalumnae to take out their checkbooks.

"We've had a lot of gifts and a lot of pledgescome in the last few days," said Radcliffespokesperson Michael A. Armini.

Armini noted that one seven-figure gift thathad been "in the pipeline" several weeks ago hasbeen finalized since the announcement.

He added that alumnae have been reassured bythe knowledge that restricted gifts given duringRadcliffe's college days cannot be redirected.

"They definitely cannot be spent for anotherpurpose," he said. "That's something that peopledon't have to worry about."

Student callers for the Radcliffe phonathonsaid they have been told to come to work as usualthis week.

"We're making calls for Radcliffe--it doesn'treally matter what you call it," said Mary A.Piscitello '01, co-director of the RadcliffeCollege Fund phonathon. "Obviously, we'll bediscussing what's happening with alumnae."

Certainly, those alumnae who supportedTuesday's agreement said their peers will beeasily convinced to change their giving habits.

"I think with a little of hoopla they'll bemore than willing to give to Harvard and notRadcliffe [College]," said longtime critic ofRadcliffe College Claire K. Lipsman '45, whobacked Tuesday's decision.

Many alumnae said the decision could not havecome as a surprise to Radcliffe's most recentdonors.

"I don't think alumnae were under anymisconception about what they were giving to,"said Charlotte H. Armstrong '49, president of theHarvard Board of Overseers. "They knew theyweren't giving to a traditional, four-year women'scollege.