The Loss of the Students' Dean

Harvard lost one of its most beloved and influential administrators late this August when former Dean of Students Archie C. Epps III passed away at the age of 66. Epps was instrumental in integrating African-American students and women into Harvard’s campus. He oversaw the creation of the Undergraduate Council, assisted the vast increase in the number of student groups on campus and played an indispensable role in countless other improvements to undergraduate life. But more than his contributions, those who knew Epps remember his extraordinary personal qualities—his fairness, independence and love of Harvard—all of which remain firmly embedded as part of the invaluable legacy he has left the institution.

A Louisiana native, Epps came to Harvard in 1958 to study at the Divinity School. After graduating, he applied for a job in the employment office but was turned down when an officer told him that white students wouldn’t take advice from a black man. Epps recounted the incident to the sympathetic John U. Monro ’34-’35, dean of the College at the time, and accepted a position as assistant dean. Epps later rose to become dean of students himself and over the next 30 years would earn the gratitude of white and black students alike for his advice on a wide range of subjects, and for his genuine and tireless efforts to improve undergraduate life.

Epps prided himself on independent thought and placed his principles above questions of loyalty or politics, no matter how harshly he was criticized. He always strove to set things right, in regard to both race and gender; he never allowed personal interests or affiliations to affect his opinions or his work. In 1980, at the request of then-University President Derek C. Bok, Epps took responsibility for race relations on campus, and was careful to take as neutral an approach to race as he could. He also headed the Harvard Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, which supports student groups that address racial and ethnic diversity.

Epps witnessed the merging of Harvard and Radcliffe in 1977, and helped women gain equal status on campus. Though he had coordinated final clubs’ punch seasons for years, Epps became concerned when they refused to admit women, and he led the attack on the clubs after the College severed all ties with them in 1984.

But even those who opposed Epps’ policies admired his character. Douglas W. Sears ’69, who was executive director of the Graduate Interclub Council, praised him as “a very empathetic and fair human being, purely on a personal basis.”

As an administrator who loved to forge personal relationships with students, Epps was known for his extraordinary warmth, integrity and civility, which was appreciated by undergraduates. Epps performed regularly with the Glee Club during football games and could often be seen carrying on discussions with students over lunch in Loker Commons. Lamont Professor of Divinity Paul D. Hanson observed that “Because students perceive him to be fair-minded, he has established a relationship of trust,” and Bok called him “an interpreter of students to all of us.”

Epps loved Harvard—its tradition, its history and its people—and he reveled in every moment of the more than 40 years he spent here. He was known for his encyclopedic knowledge of Harvard’s history, which he would share with anyone willing to listen, and he occasionally passed long hours strolling through cemeteries as he visited the graves of former University presidents. Epps was fond of quoting Emerson, and when he announced his retirement, he spoke of the “long, winding train” of men and women who’ve touched Harvard. Epps certainly earned his place as one of the foremost among them, and he will be dearly missed.