Lorsch said that at its inception, the Corporation was composed strictly of members who lived in greater Boston. But, as time progressed and rules relaxed, members began to leave the area. As a result, intimate involvement with the University became more difficult.

With more members working in and around Cambridge and Boston and others traveling to Harvard frequently, it has become easier for the Corporation to monitor the pulse of the University in person.

“That means that they are present and able to come to sporting events [and] to be involved in a variety of activities on campus,” Faust said.

For example, she said, the Corporation’s three Bostonians spoke with staff members and deans at a farewell reception for Education School Dean Kathleen McCartney.

“It was a moment where the permeability of the Corporation was very much in evidence,” Faust said.

Members said that as reforms were being implemented the Corporation increased its communication with administrators and faculty members in more formal ways as well.

“At the completion of Drew’s fifth year as president, a number of us on the Corporation conducted interviews with faculty, staff, and some students also,” Bacow said. “Just to get people’s sense of how the University was doing, and how she was doing.”

Reischauer, who said the Corporation interviewed 106 stakeholders, added that this practice had not been employed prior to the reforms and that he found it “tremendously informative.”

The Board of Overseers—Harvard’s second-highest governing body—also has an unprecedented presence in discussions with the reformed Corporation. Until Reischauer’s appointment in 2002, no Overseer had ever been appointed to the Corporation. Now, four of the new members are former Overseers.

Renewed Corporation engagement with the greater Harvard community transcends traditional governance responsibilities, Corporation members said. They hold informal dinners with affiliates, attend conferences, and give presentations, such as one by Keohane at the second annual Harvard Initiative for Learning and Teaching conference held this May.

BACKROOM BOARDROOM

Though members said that their access to the community has increased because of the reforms, the Corporation remains largely secretive in its operations, and does not divulge its meetings’ minutes.

Corporation members, however, maintain that their counsel is more transparent than it may be perceived to be. Reischauer said that while the Corporation’s deliberations may not be immediately accessible, they are reflected by Faust’s rhetoric and actions.

“Our voice about what transpires at Corporation meetings is really Drew,” he said.

Reischauer said that the Corporation’s recent deliberations have revolved primarily around questions of the budget, facilities planning, and now, the capital campaign. The Corporation seeks to be transparent about these issues, but continues to keep some things hidden when necessary, he said.