"Perhaps because I'm an elected official, I assume everything will always be leaked," said Overseer Sheila J. Kuehl, who is a state senator from California.

Early last week, Overseers received a Fed-Exed letter from the search committee inviting them to attend a meeting this weekend to confirm the committee's pick, although Monday's snowstorm delayed the delivery of some letters.

"It seemed like short notice and a strange sense of urgency," Kuehl said.

The letter also requested phone contact information from those who would not attend, in the event that a conference call would be necessary, but no conference calls were conducted at the meeting.

After the official announcement, Summers and members of the search committee chatted on the sidewalk outside of the building. Some waited for coach sedans to take them to the Newark Airport. They flew on a six-seat private jet to Cambridge for yesterday's evening press conference.

Prior to the official announcement, committee members remained tight-lipped about the search.

"I have absolutely nothing to say," Conrad K. Harper, a member of the Harvard Corporation who served on the presidential search committee, told reporters before the 10:30 a.m. meeting.

Afterwards, Harper smiled and said, "Now I can talk to you."