"I decided that I would like to stay on anotheryear to work with Jeremy, and I'm very pleasedthat I did," Pilbeam says.
Working with Knowles, many faculty members say,is fun. Colleagues praise his capacity forlearning and his unflagging sense of humor.
"No signs of cynicism Th I can see," saysoutgoing Dean of the Graduate School of Arts andSciences Brendan A. Maher.
That's impressive, many say, for someone with ajob that's far from easy.
"All first years are pretty horrible," Foxsays. "If you can survive your first year inoffice, you can survive anything."
The position itself, says Professor ofSociology Aage B. Sorenson, is badly structured.
"No other university has a person they calldean who is actually a provost--who...sets his ownbudget, has to hold the hand of every seniorfaculty member," Sorenson says.
"The job could be organized in such a way thatit could be easier for normal mortals to handleit."
Normal mortals tend to tire, and Knowles admitsthe job has taken its toll: "I have lost hairoften, temper rarely, sleep always."
And the faculty has found a man who comparesthe FAS budget to an amoeba, and who presentedFaculty Council members with sunglasses at the endof the year.
"He's been extremely graceful and very humorousand thoughtful," says Professor of RomanceLanguages and Literature Luis Fernandez Sifuentes,"I guess he was the ideal person. They chose himrather well."