Fund Drive Decision Expected By June

Despite mounting speculation that the University will soon launch a multi-billion dollar fundraising drive, President Derek C. Bok said in an interview yesterday that a final decision would not be made until the end of this academic year.

Several University officials have confirmed that Harvard is nearly set to embark on its capital campaign ever--possibly as high as $2 billion.

But Bok said that he and other administrators are still discussing whether the University's financial needs warrant such a massive drive. Bok also said that University officials could make no final decisions until they gained a better sense of how potential donors felt about the proposed campaign.

"We have not finally decided on a drive," Bok said. "We certainly haven't had discussions about a major funddrive with any groups of donors yet," he added.

Ever since rumors of an impending drivesurfaced last spring, sources have said thebiggest obstacle to coordinating a new drive wouldbe deciding whether the campaign should be runseparately by each of Harvard's nine faculties oras one massive effort.

Officials have said that the schools with moreextensive alumni networks--such as the Law Schooland the Business School--back a decentralizedcampaign while the schools with less alumnisupport--such as the Divinity School and theEducation School--have pushed for aUniversity-wide campaign.

Bok has not said publicly which option heprefers.

But administrators have said that Bok favors aUniversity-wide campaign. And in discussing thetwo options yesterday, Bok hinted that acentralized campaign might be more advantageous tothe University as a whole.

Bok said that in a University-wide campaign,"all the faculty at the University have anopportunity to present what they are trying toachieve to the whole of Harvard alumni...AUniversity-wide fund drive holds up a largervision to people."

And Bok said that a decentralized campaignwould hurt schools like the Ed School and the DivSchool because they "are less endowed with alumniwho are as able to contribute."

But still, Bok said he has yet to make up hismind about the two options