Closer to home, Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles found summer inspiration on campus, "reveling in the grace and elegance of the marvels of Grays and Holworthy"--apparently despite the fact that both were covered with construction equipment.

Of course, there was another potential source of inspiration a bit closer at hand--the stuffed sun-bleached bunny which sits on Knowles' office window ledge, unlike most Harvard students, didn't abandon him for an internship after May finals.

Though he says he's not exactly "tanned, rested and ready" now that his summer is over, Knowles remains effusive. "It has simply been a splendid summer full of hard work and I look forward to the fall with great anticipation," he says.

For others, summer offered a chance to make the fall a less anxious time.

Dean of the Graduate School of Education Jerome T. Murphy says his most mundane summer activity was also the most unusual: planning for the year ahead. During his two years as dean, he's never had the chance to think that far ahead.

"I know it's sad and it shouldn't be that way, but it's just not something I've gotten to before," Murphy says. "But this summer I did well--I even taught myself to plan on my toes.