College To Add New Deputy Dean

Just a year after administrative consolidation led to the ouster of former Dean of the College Harry R. Lewis ’68 and the abolition of the Office for Undergraduate Education, University Hall is looking for a new top dean to oversee college life.

A search is underway for a deputy dean of the College, who is expected to shoulder many of the day-to-day administrative duties that are now the responsibility of Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71.

This move is the most recent of several new appointments and promotions aimed at easing what administrators have said is an overstretched College administration. Gross, the former dean of undergraduate education who began shouldering the duties of the consolidated office on July 1, has said that the ongoing curricular review has increasingly demanded his time.

Associate Dean of the College Thomas A. Dingman ’67 said the new dean will likely serve as a contact person for faculty and staff throughout the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) and will also have oversight of the Bureau of Study Counsel and other student services, such as health care and crisis response.

Gross, who is on vacation, was not available for comment, and FAS spokesperson Robert P. Mitchell said he was unaware of the details of the new dean’s job description.

Dingman said the new dean may also take Gross’ spot as the chair of the Administrative Board, which rules on students’ disciplinary and academic problems. The four associate deans of the college, who have oversight of such areas as House life, College finances and student activities, will also report to the new dean.

Undergraduate Council Chair Matt W. Mahan ’05 said last night that while he was unaware of the details of the new post, he feared the move might create another layer of bureaucracy between students and Gross’ administration.

“Anything that puts another degree of separation between the student body representatives and the ultimate decision-maker is bad for students,” Mahan said. “I sincerely hope that Dean Gross does not envision that role as an intermediary between himself and his associate deans, because that proximity and those conversations are integral to the College’s new attitude—as I’ve been calling it—which is one of working closely with students and ensuring access to the highest levels of administration.”

When Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby decided to combine Lewis’ and Gross’ former jobs—dean of the College and dean of undergraduate education—into one position, he said the move’s goal was to better integrate academic and administrative concerns under one dean.

Dingman said yesterday that the new appointment was a continuation of the restructuring of the College and did not represent a move away from an effort to combine responsibilities.

“This is a different structure that continues to build on the consolidation of the offices,” Dingman said.

Dingman said that more administrative changes may be in store for University Hall, pending the outcome of the curricular review.

Last month, former Associate Dean of the College Jeffrey Wolcowitz was promoted to a position that involves full-time management of the curricular review and Elizabeth Doherty, formerly the director of freshman seminars and special assistant to the dean of the College, moved into his space, managing the administrative end of undergraduate education.

Wolcowitz suggested last month that the recent shifts in University Hall administration could be attributed to the staffing shortages that have come about as the curricular review gathers speed.

“As the review began to move forward we realized we had not fully anticipated the amount of staffing it would need,” Wolcowitz said.

The creation of a new deputy deanship came about as part of a review of the structure of the College administration that began earlier this year, conducted by an outside consulting firm.

“Dean Gross was asked to add a lot to his portfolio,” Dingman said. “He had the experience this year of trying to do it all.

I think he’s learned a ton and in the process learned he wanted to have somebody come in as a consultant.”

Tami Anton, a management consultant who has done work with Harvard’s administration before—including the registrar’s office last year—has been working with the recently restructured College since fall semester. “[The consultants] determined it would be good to have more administrative support,” Dingman said.

—Staff writer Rebecca D. O’Brien can be reached at robrien@fas.harvard.edu.