Harvard wasn't built in a day.

Like the world's great empires, the Rome of universities is always expanding its reach. And one of the pitfalls of Harvard's growing international influence is the increased likelihood that the University itself will become unmanageable.

Gaining size can mean losing focus. And fiscally, at least, Harvard is already the biggest university in the world.

Could Harvard actually become too big? From their vantage point in Mass. Hall, University President Neil L. Rudenstine and other top adminstrators say yes.

The voice of faculty could get lost in decision-making. International demand for the Harvard name could pull the University in too many directions at once.

Needs for physical and electronic expansion could create a campus too far-flung--both geographically and virtually--to be a community. Harvard could grow too big for its own good in many ways.

The University is trying to control its growth: Rudenstine says so many new ideas cross his desk every day that he is forced to reject 98 percent of them.

The University has also focused on maximizing use of its current space instead of throwing up new buildings.