Portrait: Evelynn M. Hammonds

Growing up in Atlanta at the end of segregation, Evelynn M. Hammonds faced her share of discrimination as one of the earliest groups of black students bussed to white schools.

But 32 years after graduating from historically black Spelman College, she has become the dean of Harvard College, the first woman—let alone the first black woman—to assume the College’s highest post.

Hammonds said in a recent interview that both her early experiences in dealing with racism and working with people of diverse backgrounds later in life have taught her “how people overcome their differences in order to work together toward common goals.”

Trained in physics and electrical engineering before earning a Ph.D. in Harvard’s history of science department, Hammonds was praised by one colleague for being “one of the rare people who can speak these multiple languages.”

“She has dealt with multiple constituencies all her life,” said Wellesley College professor Susan M. Reverby, a friend of 20 years. “She’s one of those people who works across divides...She has opinions, but she’s not judgmental.”

And as the last senior vice provost for development and diversity, advising the president and provost on issues related to the recruitment and advancement of women and minorities in faculty positions, Hammonds’ commitment to promoting diversity of all sorts is expected to continue.

Despite her talents as a scholar and an administrator, Hammonds’ distance from the daily affairs of the College and student life remains apparent.

Upon her appointment, she said she was unfamiliar with several of the major student concerns, including the nature of the Administrative Board and the College’s alcohol policy. This spring, she cancelled her freshman seminar—part of a program touted for its ability to connect senior faculty with students. (She cited, “personal reasons,” when asked about the course’s cancellation.)

But in a March interview, Hammonds’ last on-the-record talk with The Crimson, she called upon her training as a historian to put student concerns in the proper context.

“You know, I think there are some timeless issues of student life,” Hammonds said.

STEPPING IN

Hammonds begins her tenure as a member of a new administrative guard, joining University President Drew G. Faust and Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) Michael D. Smith, both of whom have just completed their first years in office, as well as Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Allan M. Brandt, who was appointed in December.

Hammonds succeeds anthropologist David R. Pilbeam, who served in an interim capacity for the year after the retirement of Benedict H. Gross ’71, a professor of mathematics.

Gross was the first to hold the position in its current form—he began his term as dean of undergraduate education, which focused more on academic than student life issues, but in 2003 his position was merged with the dean of the College position, held at the time by Harry R. Lewis ’68.

As Harvard emerges from this period of flux, Hammonds will be responsible for carrying forth several major initiatives launched by Pilbeam, specifically the implementation of the new General Education curriculum and the development of a $1 billion-plus House-renewal plan.

In an April interview, Pilbeam mentioned the possibility of appointing an executive dean to help Hammonds with some of the responsibilities of the position, though the decision to create such a post now lies with her.

FINDING HER SPACE

In the fall, Hammonds will have her work cut out for her in terms of developing a relationship with the undergraduate student body, whose relationship with Pilbeam was rocky as a result of several unpopular decisions.

Hammonds was never a student at the College, as her three most recent full-term predecessors were. And though she was a member of the General Education Committee, she has not served on any student affairs or athletic committees.

But while completing her graduate degree at Harvard, Hammonds said she observed undergraduates and learned about their concerns—knowledge she continued to acquire when she became a Harvard professor.

“I don’t feel hindered by the fact that I was not a student in the College,” Hammonds wrote in an e-mail. “Now I see my role as being a student of the College as I begin to learn more about the infrastructure that supports the College.”

Undergraduate Council President Matthew L. Sundquist ’09, who will work with Hammond’s administration during the fall semester, said that his interactions with Hammonds so far have been positive.

“She’s invested in making sure she listens to everyone,” Sundquist said, adding that she has made an effort to consider the various complexities of the decisions she has been involved with so far, even when differences of opinion arise. “She’s very responsive every time I’ve talked to her...and it’s important to agree to disagree with someone you work with.”

Tenured in the African and African American studies department in addition to history of science, Hammonds has been touted as one of the leading scholars in the field of the intersection of medicine and race.

“She’s just an incredibly thoughtful commentator and scholar whose work really matters,” Reverby said. “She’s one of the few people who make history matter.”

Faust, who served on the Gen Ed committee with Hammonds several years ago, recalled Hammonds relating how meaningful it was to have her eyes opened through her undergraduate education at Spelman.

“[She talked about] how Harvard was such an educational pinnacle that what it could offer to undergraduates was even dimensions above what had been so meaningful to her,” Faust said. “I’ve been aware of that commitment and am very excited about what she will bring to the world.”

—Staff writer Aditi Balakrishna can be reached at balakris@fas.harvard.edu.