For President Neil L. Rudenstine, this semester means tidying up the unfinished business of a fundraising drive that has consumed him for so much of his tenure: the recently concluded Capital Campaign that raised $2.6 billion.

But after six years spent trekking the globe, making phone calls and wining and dining "friends," Rudenstine is now no longer in full-time pursuit of donations. With bureaucratic entanglements winding down, the loose ends are often those that relate--however inadvertently--to undergraduates.

Long criticized for not spending as much time on students as his predecessors did, Rudenstine, his financial quest over, has time to concentrate on initiatives that students--and members of the community--have clamored for. The campaign may have officially ended Dec. 31, but there is still much to do. Rudenstine and his colleagues must now tackle campaign shortfalls in certain key areas--and, of course, the larger process of planning where the unspent money is going to go.

Perhaps most importantly the University is still working to raise $52.6 million for the 40 professorships in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS)--a goal it failed to reach during the campaign. More professors will eventually mean fewer class lotteries and more personal contact with faculty for students--concrete improvements in the day-to-day lives of all undergraduates.

Outside the realm of the campaign, Rudenstine is faced with the aftermath of ending Radcliffe's college days in the wake of its merger with Harvard. Many students have expressed concern over the fate of the institution that once gained women access to a Harvard education--concerns that the University will have to address as it moves ahead with its plans.

And both on and off campus, evolving technology is constantly changing how students receive their education and how they interact with professors and fellow students. Rudenstine slates developments in distance learning high on his list of things to work on this year--including a review of the University's general conflict rules as they relate to this issue.

With all of this tidying up to be done, Rudenstine's slate seems to hold few new items. University officials long ago set their goals and posted their shopping lists. And within the next year or two, the campaign's $2.6 billion gift to Harvard will be neatly wrapped up.

But students may finally be feeling the effects of what Rudenstine does from his comfortable office on the bottom floor of Mass. Hall.