O’Brien Fired By Gross, Knowles

Under pressure from two of Harvard’s top officials, Deputy Dean of the College Patricia O’Brien was forced to step down from her second-ranking post at the College earlier this month and is set to leave the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) entirely, two people familiar with the situation said.

O’Brien’s firing came after she lost the support of interim Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles. Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 dismissed O’Brien earlier this month after consulting with Knowles, the sources said.

O’Brien’s sudden departure has yet to be announced to the Harvard community, and College officials continue to remain mum on the personnel change.

Gross wrote in a July 13 e-mail sent only to College administrators and House Masters that O’Brien will take a “personal leave of absence” beginning on August 1—exactly two years after she first took up her post as deputy dean of the College. Gross announced that she will maintain her position as the co-Master of Currier House.

The e-mail did not state the duration of O’Brien’s departure or if she would retain her post as deputy dean at the end of the leave.

But the sources said that O’Brien plans to leave FAS during the leave, and one of the sources said that she is contemplating leaving Harvard entirely.

O’Brien did not return e-mails or calls requesting comment.

Knowles declined to comment for this story, and Gross declined through FAS Director of Communications Robert Mitchell.

Mitchell confirmed yesterday that Gross had only notified House Masters and staff of O’Brien’s departure. He said Gross would not comment publicly because he has yet to discuss the issue with his staff.

It is unclear if a successor to O’Brien would be appointed, but one of the sources said that the College might undergo a reorganization that would eliminate the deputy dean position.

“I don’t know what the dean has planned for that position,” Mitchell said Wednesday.

In an interview with The Crimson on Wednesday, former University President Lawrence H. Summers, who enjoyed a close relationship with O’Brien, said that the deputy dean brought “much-needed” energy to the College that resulted in improvements to the undergraduate experience.

“I very much hope that all that she put into motion to break with past practices and place greater emphasis on student welfare will continue and be enhanced,” Summers said.

O’Brien was hand-picked by Summers for the newly created role of deputy dean, according to Classics Department Chair Richard F. Thomas.

Gross told The Crimson at the time of O’Brien’s hiring that his responsibilities as Dean of the College—a post created in 2003 that consolidated two top administrative positions—“was just too much” and that he felt the need to “hire someone to help me divide up this job.”

O’Brien was poached from the Simmons School of Management, where she acted as dean for several years, to serve as the first deputy dean of the College in 2004. She joined her husband Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr., a professor of business ethics at Harvard Business School, as co-master of Currier House just one year prior.

In her newly-created post, O’Brien shouldered administrative responsibilities and worked as liaison to other divisions of Harvard, including University Health Services, the Registrar, the Freshman Dean’s office and the Office of Career Services.

Administrators and faculty have entertained rumors that O’Brien’s leave was truly a lay off for over three weeks. When approached, many said that they did not know enough to comment on the situation.

ADMINISTRATIVE RESTRUCTURING

Since former Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby consolidated the previously existing Office of the Dean for Undergraduate Education and the Office of the Dean of the College and tapped Gross as the College’s new chief in 2003, the administration has undergone notable restructuring.

Nine of the 10 members of Gross’s senior staff took their current posts after Gross took charge of Harvard’s undergraduate branch, and at least seven senior College administrators have either quit or been forced to leave during his tenure.

At the time some professors and former administrators expressed concern to The Crimson about the turnover rate at the College and said they heard claims that the new administration had adopted a “corporate” tone.

Plummer Professor of Christian Morals Peter J. Gomes said in April that, within the College administration, “there’s a sense of intimidation, a sense of anxiety—a watch-your-back feeling.”

“I’ve heard from a number of people that University Hall now has the worst of a corporate culture,” he says.

Gross’ letter to house masters and staff also cited O’Brien’s contribution to student programs and community space initiatives such as the Hilles student center, the cafe in Lamont, and the pub in Loker Commons.

“Dean O’Brien has been a strong leader in the College. Her tenure has overseen real progress in many dimensions of the undergraduate experience,” Kirby wrote in an e-mail.

—Staff writer Javier C. Hernandez can be reached at jhernand@fas.harvard.edu
—Staff writer Ying Wang can be reached at yingwang@fas.harvard.edu.