"It's really important that the process be as open and transparent as possible, and that people have a sense of not so much who the candidates are, but of what the criteria are that are being used," says Gay W. Seidman '78, a professor at the University of Wisconsin and an Overseer during the last search.

Seidman, who is also a former Crimson executive, says that during the last search, she was unclear on what criteria were being used to create the final list of possibilities.

The Corporation, however, is legendary for its secrecy, and the search process is unlikely to be the exception.

But dubious hints are already filtering through. On Monday, MSNBC cited an anonymous Harvard source who allegedly confirmed that the University had expressed an interest in Hillary Rodham Clinton, the first lady and Democratic candidate for senator in New York.

University spokesperson Joe Wrinn declined to comment on the story or the search. But no doubt the rumor will not be the last of the wild guesses.

The search for Harvard's next president starts for real this summer in Loeb House, the home of the Harvard Corporation.

It ends across the Yard, in Massachusetts Hall, where in Neil Rudenstine's old seat, a mystery academic will puzzle out Harvard's future.

--Erica B. Levy contributed to the reporting of this article.