With Three of Four Resident Deans Turning Over, FDO Completes Hires

The Freshman Dean’s Office has filled the vacancies created by the departures from the office of three of its four freshman resident deans this summer.

Michael C. Ranen, who has previously served as a resident tutor in Winthrop House and an assistant dean of student life at Harvard Summer School, has replaced William Cooper ’94 as Ivy Yard’s resident dean. Jasmine M. Waddell, who was most recently an assistant professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, has filled Sue Brown’s former role as resident dean of Elm Yard.

Madeleine A. Currie, a former proctor, was appointed in the spring to fill the role vacated by Oak Yard’s most recent dean, Jonas V. Clark.

The FDO learned this past academic year that Cooper and Clark would be departing, according to Dean of Freshmen Thomas A. Dingman ’67. Cooper will leave to defend his dissertation before considering new professional options, while Clark will attend the Yale School of Management.

Dingman said that the FDO learned at the start of the summer that a third resident dean, Brown, would also be leaving the FDO. Brown now works in the Advising Programs Office, serving as associate director of advising programs and assistant dean of the College.

The three new freshman resident deans, who have all since started work, who were chosen from a “deep and talented” pool of 152 applicants, Dingman said.

“They’re filling big shoes. We had a terrific team, but I’m very excited by these appointments,” Dingman said, adding that the new deans come from a variety of backgrounds and will bring different perspectives.

Ranen said he is looking forward to working with the incoming freshmen alongside their proctors.

“We have a chance to really shape their Harvard experience,” Ranen said. “And how their experience is during the first year can hopefully lead to more great things as they enter their Houses. I’m excited that they come into the Yard totally fresh and excited and ready to explore new opportunities.”

Ranen added that he hopes to “contribute in a positive way” to the College’s ongoing discussion about academic integrity. This past semester, the Committee on Academic Integrity proposed a five-point honor code, which, if approved, would be Harvard’s first-ever honor code.

Ranen said that as an undergraduate at Haverford College, he worked closely with the school’s acclaimed honor code.

For her part, Waddell said the process of matching students with their roommates and entryways has been “a great way for me to get to know Harvard, the Yard, the College, etc.”

With the three departures, Catherine R. Shapiro of Crimson Yard will be the only one of last year’s resident deans returning to the FDO. Still, Dingman said he is optimistic that the new deans will make a strong team for the Yard.

“I think because we hired people with real-world experience and significant maturity, I feel very confident that they are going to hit the ground running,” Dingman said.

—Staff writer Madeline R. Conway can be reached at mconway@college.harvard.edu. Follow her on Twitter @MadelineRConway.