But subordinates say Knowles also allows for initiative.

According to William R. Fitzsimmons III '67, the dean of admissions and financial aid, Knowles gives the admissions staff a good deal of leeway in making decisions.

Famous as a strict grammarian and a proponent of clarity in academic writing, Knowles is known for his attention to detail in Faculty matters and being second only to Fox in his ability to manuever through the parliamentary procedure of Faculty meetings.

Knowles places a premium on knowing the facts, Lewis says.

"He has a reasonably large number of people with whom he consults, but he always tries to get information firsthand," Lewis says. "He doesn't delegate in the sense of handing things off and expecting never to see them again."

Knowles's disarming British wit serves him well in speeches at formal occassions, including Faculty meetings, dinners and his address at Convocation.

His celebrated sense of humor was in heavy demand during the early years of Knowles' deanship, when budget demands made saying "no" to Faculty positions and student projects a major part of his working life.

"Behind all the wit and politesse is a very smart man," says Todd.

INTO THE FUTURE

In four years, when the University's capital campaign is expected to be finished, Knowles will be 66, the official age of retirement for Faculty.

Knowles himself says he doesn't know when he will leave the deanship. But many point to the campaign's culmination as a logical endpoint for Knowles's tenure as dean.

Jane Knowles says that her husband continues to love his work.

"He's happy," she says. "Exhausted but happy."