"I've known her ever since she was a law school student. She is brilliant as a scholar and extraordinary as a colleague and administrator," Tribe says."We would be very lucky if she became the president of Harvard."

Sullivan served on the Clinton-Gore transition team in 1992, and later came to Clinton's defense in the Paula Jones sexual harassment case. She filed a brief with the U.S. Supreme Court arguing that the president's schedule should not be dictated by the courts and that the case should be put on hold until Clinton left office.

The Jones case was one of only three losses she's had in the Supreme Court--out of the 10 cases she's argued there.

Changes Afield

Sullivan sees a variety of challenges facing Harvard in the coming years, including integrating technology into the schools.

"Like all universities, Harvard faces the challenge over the next decade of keeping the role of the university vibrant in a world where information collection and transmission has become so cheap," she wrote.

While cautioning that universities provide skills that distance learning cannot, she suggests the University should "explore ways to make some of its course activity available on-line to alumni or other public audiences."

Sullivan praises Harvard's humanities and social sciences programs, but also sees room for improvement in the applied sciences.