University President Steven Knapp spent the summer as many GW students do: working and finding time to escape D.C.’s legendary humidity.

Knapp enjoyed a busy summer, participating in the GW Leadership Retreat, vacationing with his family in Utah and visiting his private farm in Sparks, Md., where he raises sheep.

The retreat, which is held every three years and is designed to determine the direction the University is heading, took place June 25 through June 27 in Cambridge, Md.

Knapp said the event “was a good moment to focus on what we can achieve as a University and what we can achieve here in Washington.”

During the retreat, the Board of Trustees and an advisory board composed of faculty, alumni and parents conducted discussion groups on topics like the economy, sustainability, and global leadership, and set goals for both individual schools and the University as a whole.

Wayne Clough, who is the secretary of the Smithsonian Institution and the former president of the Georgia Institute of Technology, served as the keynote speaker.

Knapp described public service as “crucial to our identity as a university,” and increasing GW’s commitment to public service was a recurring theme in the program’s discussions.

Knapp said he was pleased with the increased alumni involvement this year.

“We are always trying to strengthen ties with the alumni who are becoming more and more engaged in where we are going as a university, both by recruiting students and contributing financially to things like student aid,” Knapp said.

Knapp then took a vacation to southern Utah with his wife, his daughter Sarah, and his son Jesse.

They spent a week hiking and taking in the views at Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon and the Grand Staircase.

Knapp said the sights were “pretty spectacular” and was excited to see prehistoric drawings and carvings done by Native Americans.