"While in most of these instances progress hasbeen much too slow for my taste, that has not beenfor a lack of addressing the issues or working onthem," says the outgoing dean.

Another area in which the Kennedy School hasfallen short has been the area minority facultyhiring. Currently there is only one tenured Blackand one tenured woman on the school's faculty.

"In faculty, I would say that the performancehas been unsatisfactory," Allison says. "But Isaid three years ago that we were going to appointto the senior faculty at least one [woman orminority] every year. We did it two years ago, wedid it last year and we now have three offersoutstanding."

One of his last priorities as dean will be tofinalize the minority faculty appointments, hesays.

Next year Allison will be a visiting scholar atthe Carnegie Foundation, during which time heplans to continue in his research of the changingrelationship between the two superpowers.

And as he takes up these studies in the wake ofa tenure during which he fell under almostconstant media scrutiny, Allison says he willwelcome the opportunity to return to the quietlife of an academician