The meeting also was a symbolic “passing of the torch,” as Rudenstine introduced President-elect Lawrence H. Summers to the Harvard alums, most of whom Summers knew from his days in the Treasury Department.

During a question-and-answer session at the end of the luncheon, the attendees pushed Rudenstine and Summers on issues of undergraduate education, the Core Curriculum and international education.

“Unlike a lot of political meetings, the hot button issues were discussed in very thoughtful questions, and elicited intellectual discussions,” Casey said.

—Staff writer Garrett M. Graff can be reached at ggraff@fas.harvard.edu.