But the pace of the review thus far has been measured. After it was announced in October, the committee chairs were not officially in place until March, the students until April and the full committees until May.

These groups have convened just a couple of times, in preparation for research and data-gathering work to be done this summer and fall.

“This is what we had in mind, that the groups would meet each other a few times,” says Gross.

Beginning in the fall, the committees will meet biweekly and exchange progress and ideas via the Steering Committee, made up of Kirby, Gross, Wolcowitz, the committee chairs and Carol J. Thompson, senior advisor to the dean of the Kennedy School of Government and a former associate dean of the Faculty for academic affairs.

The coming academic year will also be a time of information-gathering, as the committees meet with various constituents of the College, such as the Undergraduate Council, members of the Houses, admissions staff, faculty and students.

The first of whatever policy changes are drafted and approved could begin to go into effect starting in the fall of 2005.

“[The schedule] depends on to what extent people want to change things,” says Patrikis. “If it ends up being more of a modification of the existing system rather than overhauling it, it’ll obviously be easier.”

The slow pace has frustrated some, including Summers.

“I think his feeling is that the review should go faster, but he understands that this is a complicated issue that will take time, and the Faculty needs to agree on it,” Gross says.

But he maintains the review is right on schedule and progressing just as he and Kirby had hoped it would.

“I’m very encouraged at this stage,” Gross says.

—Staff writer Laura L. Krug can be reached at krug@fas.harvard.edu.