Two Freshman Deans To Depart

Come fall semester, two familiar faces in the Freshman Dean’s Office will no longer be there. Resident deans William Cooper ’94 of Ivy Yard and Jonas V. Clark of Oak Yard are leaving the FDO.

Madeleine A. Currie, a former proctor who is currently doing a postdoctorate at Harvard, will replace Cooper, while Clark’s role has yet to be filled.

Clark, who worked as a proctor in Wigglesworth for five years before spending four years as a dean, will depart to attend the Yale School of Management.

“I wanted to have a chance to get back from the day-to-day work and step back to get some new schooling,” Clark said.

Cooper will leave the FDO after seven years to defend his dissertation before considering new professional options, Dean of Freshmen Thomas A. Dingman ’67 said.

Cooper did not return repeated requests for comment on his departure.

Dingman said that Cooper and Clark will be missed by their colleagues.

“Dean Cooper has tremendous judgment, and he is absolutely unflappable,” Dingman said. “Dean Clark was enjoying the responsibilities, and we saw how smart and committed and compassionate he was. We’ve had a wonderful run with the current four resident deans. They’re all quite different from one another, but I think that’s a strength. We’ve really enjoyed this work together.”

Clark said that he will miss many things about Harvard—stopping to talk with so many of his friends and colleagues while walking across campus, viewing the Charles River from DeWolfe Street apartments, and experiencing the excitement of move-in day.

“Harvard is something very new and unexpected, and nothing beats watching as people pull up to the gates, their eyes wide,” Clark said.

Reflecting on his time at Harvard, Clark said he was honored to have worked as a freshman resident dean.

“It’s a real privilege to be working with students who are so talented and enthusiastic,” Clark said. “It’s equally inspiring to be around the staff and faculty and the people who want to support these students. It’s been a great chapter.”

Currie, the new Ivy Yard Dean, was chosen from an applicant pool of 152 people, which was then whittled down to six people who were brought on to campus for interviews, according to Dingman. Students also were involved in the interviewing process, Dingman said.

“It’s premature to say who’s moving into [Clark’s] role,” Dingman said. “We may well have a third opening, too, which means we’ll go back to the finalists and decide who among the remaining folks seems strongest.”

—Staff writer Laya Anasu can be reached at layaanasu@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter @layaanasu.