First woman at Duke's helm

Keohane made history when she assumed the presidency of Duke in 1993, as the first woman to lead Duke and one of the first women to head a major research university.

Since then, her name has appeared on the short lists for several major presidential searches. Almost immediately after Rudenstine announced his resignation last spring, University observers and insiders began tossing Keohane's name around as a possible successor.

But she never reached the top of the list--even before she seemingly took herself out of the race--mainly, many say, because, at 60, she is beyond the ideal age for a new president who is expected to stay at least a decade in the post. Rudenstine was 56 when he was appointed.

Despite the speculation, Keohane has said she is fully committed to Duke, citing the school's $1.5 billion capital campaign, which ends in 2003, as the reason; she is committed, she says, to ensuring the success of the campaign.

Already during Keohane's term the Duke endowment has risen from $600 million to $1.68 billion.

While Keohane was born in the south and is now working there, she is not a stranger to New England. Before coming to Duke she served for 12 years as President of Wellesley College, the college from which she earned her bachelor's degree.

Keohane's links to Harvard come mainly through her husband, Robert O. Keohane. Until 1996, when he took a position at Duke, he was Stanfield Professor of International Peace at Harvard. He earned his masters and doctoral degrees from the University.