As the search for Harvard’s 28th president heats up, current University of Pennsylvania chief Amy Gutmann ’71 made an under-the-radar appearance in Cambridge this weekend, but she said she was not in town for talks that would bring her back to lead her alma mater.

Gutmann, who was among the finalists to succeed Neil L. Rudenstine in the 2001 presidential search, told The Crimson early yesterday morning as she left her hotel that she was in town “fundraising for the University of Pennsylvania.”

The former Princeton provost and political science professor brushed off questions about her interest in the Harvard presidency, saying only “I’m already on record with the Daily Pennsylvanian.” She told the student newspaper in March that “I love what I’m doing at Penn and plan to be here for the foreseeable future.”

When asked whether she had met with any members of the presidential search committee, a startled Gutmann replied “absolutely not” before walking into a waiting Lincoln Town Car outside the Charles Hotel.

Although Gutmann has denied interest in the Harvard presidency, two people close to the Harvard Corporation, the University’s most powerful governing body, said the nine-member presidential search committee is considering her as a candidate.

In addition, the sources said the committee is paying no attention to a candidate’s publicly stated disinterest in the presidency.

Gutmann is considered a strong contender for the presidency, but her candidacy presents a dilemma for the University.

If she is willing to turn her back on an institution she has led for only two years, some search committee members believe this could represent a larger loyalty issue that would make her an unattractive candidate, according to sources close to the search committee.

Ron Ozio, the director of media relations for the University of Pennsylvania, confirmed that Gutmann was in Boston fundraising.

“It wasn’t a Harvard trip,” he said.

He said that Gutmann stayed in the Charles because her daughter and son-in-law are both graduate students at Harvard.

“The only reason she was staying at the Charles Hotel is that it’s the one closest to where they live,” Ozio said.

Ozio also said that Gutmann had not changed her mind on the Harvard presidency. “The answer has always been no,” he said.

Gutmann is one of several prominent university administrators who have denied interest in the Harvard presidency. Others include Lee C. Bollinger, president of Columbia; Ruth Simmons, president of Brown; and Shirley M. Tilghman, president of Princeton.

Gutmann was scheduled to fly back to Philadelphia yesterday morning.

—Stephanie S. Garlow and Brittney L. Moraski contributed to the reporting of this article.

—Staff writer Javier C. Hernandez can be reached at jhernand@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Reed B. Rayman can be reached at rrayman@fas.harvard.edu.