Changing Times

But now Harvard, poised at the beginning of the 21st century in a time of campus rest rather than a period of student rebellion, must chose a new kind of leader.

"The one thing you mustn't do is pick a president to solve the problems of the immediate past," Bok says, specifying that he is speaking only of problems that affect the academic community generally. Instead, Harvard should seek a president willing to face new issues and concerns of the future.

"Universities are in a position where they can think very creatively," Bok says. "They are undergoing a larger scale of change. They require thinking in larger terms."

Among the issues for academia in the future, Bok believes, are globalization and a possible physical presence overseas. New technology presents new challenges and opens new doors that have large effects on education.

"I don't think I perceived when I came that sort of challenge," Bok says.

Universities, now armed with formidable endowments, need someone who can think creatively about spending those funds, while also integrating new and innovative technology into the educational process, he says.

Although Bok has been interviewed by the current presidential search committee, he says he won't meddle in the search process. Instead, he will continue with his academic work and let the 27th president solve the problems of the future. In the meantime, he watches the process with an objective eye, reserving judgement and only speaking if called upon.