As the 2003–04 academic year winds to a close, I've been reflecting on the incredible depth and breadth of exciting work that has taken place in our school over the past year. This kind of stock-taking is important. Even those of us who spend the large majority of our time in SHASS—faculty, students, staff—sometimes take for granted this extraordinary universe of exploration, experimentation, and innovation.

But the truth is, it's a privilege to work here. Turn any corner, and you're likely to find evidence of original and surprising work being done by pioneering SHASS faculty, often with the help of their students. The creative new approach to economic thinking discussed by Professor Esther Duflo in this issue of soundings is just one exampleáand there are countless more. We'll be featuring some of the more unusual examples in the fall issue of soundingsáso stay tuned for our own Top Ten list of things you probably don't know about SHASS.

—Dean Philip S. Khoury

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