English Professor Claybaugh Will Be Next Dean of Undergraduate Education

English professor Amanda Claybaugh will be Harvard’s next dean of undergraduate education, Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana announced in an email to students Wednesday.

Claybaugh will replace Jay M. Harris, starting July 1. Harris, who has served as dean since 2008, announced he would step down in Dec. 2017. As the dean of undergraduate education, Claybaugh will be responsible for the administration of the undergraduate curriculum at Harvard, including oversight of the Program in General Education, academic advising, and career services.

Khurana wrote that Claybaugh’s experience as faculty member in the English Department has prepared her for her new role. He noted she has taught courses including Humanities 10, has served as chair of the Committee on Degrees in History and Literature for four years, and “led the development” of History and Literature’s ethnic studies track.

She received her Ph.D. in English from Harvard in 2001 and returned to the University to begin teaching in 2010. In his email, Khurana wrote that Claybaugh is a “superb teacher and mentor.”

“Professor Claybaugh cares deeply about your academic experience, is attuned to the changing nature of our student body, and I know that she will serve all of you very well as our next Dean of Undergraduate Education,” he wrote. “Among her strengths, Professor Claybaugh is someone who listens deeply and works collaboratively to come up with creative solutions.”

Khurana also praised Claybaugh for work creating “greater diversity in the teaching faculty.”

This announcement comes during a time of administrative turnover at Harvard. University President Drew G. Faust announced last summer that she will step down from Harvard’s top post starting July 1; a lengthy search process determined Lawrence S. Bacow would be her successor in February. Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith announced in March he would step down, and Dean of Freshmen Thomas A. Dingman ’67 will also retire in June.

—Staff writer Caroline S. Engelmayer can be reached at caroline.engelmayer@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @cengelmayer13.