"It opened up so many horizons to me and gave me the idea that I could be a leader and move on," Saris said.

With the completion of the capital campaign, the election of Schroeder may signal a change in the priorities of the governing boards.

Schroeder, currently serving as president and chief executive officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, a charitable group, believes that it may be time for Harvard to use some of its endowment to improve opportunities for undergraduates.

"One of the fundamental issues for Harvard is to what extent it should continue to grow its endowment and to what extent it should begin to use it," he said.

Pelton, the president of Willamette University, has made diversity one of his top priorities. He has also expressed deep interest in the rapid advance of technology and new ethical dilemmas created by science.

"I think biology is the next great revolution of the twenty-first century," he said.

Alvarez will bring a government administrator's perspective to the Overseers. She is head of the federal Small Business Administration, and has also had experience in journalism and corporate finance. Like Saris, she hopes to be able to give back to the University.