"We weren't as attuned to the reactions of people who were not directly related to Bollinger," Nyren says. "It didn't end up the way we would have liked it to have, but I think we made the right decision...We thought it was important, for our readers, to get something out there."

With the Independent not due to publish again until March 15, editors felt a need to weigh in before the official announcement was made, Nyren said.

As the head of the Michigan system, Bollinger very much stood as a wholly independent executive. Although Summers led the Treasury, much of his success was shared with his predecessor, Robert E. Rubin '60, and Fineberg's tenure as provost was similarly linked to Rudenstine's presidency.

Bollinger's supporters could point to particular achievements that were harder to match in the other two candidates, and those made him stand out in the eyes of those making public predictions.

The Detroit Free Press saw Harvard's flirtation with the University of Michigan president as a surprisingly peaceful resolution to a series of crises the school had faced in the last year. Bollinger led the school through a series of well-publicized lawsuits that challenged the University of Michigan's approach to race and affirmative action and they strengthened his position as a contender.

"The suits," the Free Press wrote, "which could have been his worst nightmare, instead may catapult Bollinger into the nation's top college job."

In the Free Press analysis, Harvard powermakers were impressed with the stand Bollinger had taken on affirmative action, reminiscent of the fights Rudenstine and Bok were both willing to take in defense of racial preferences in academic admissions. It was harder to find analagous moments in the careers of the other two finalists.

But the hype didn't last.