Position Specification
Harvard College
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Dean of Students
Harvard College, a close-knit undergraduate program located within Harvard University, seeks a Dean of
Students to further the College’s commitment to transformative education and guide its efforts to provide
the very best student experience. The Dean of Students is a direct report to the Danoff Dean of Harvard
College and serves on his senior leadership team.
Institutional Background
Harvard is the oldest institution of higher education in the United States, established in 1636 by vote of
the Great and General Court of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. It was named after the College’s first
benefactor, the young minister John Harvard of Charlestown, who upon his death in 1638 left his library
and half his estate to the institution. A statue of John Harvard stands today in front of University Hall in
Harvard Yard, and is perhaps the University’s best known landmark.
Harvard University is devoted to excellence in teaching, learning, and research, and to developing leaders
in many disciplines who make a difference globally. The University, which is based in Cambridge and
Boston, Massachusetts, has an enrollment of over 20,000 degree candidates, including undergraduate,
graduate, and professional students. Harvard has more than 360,000 alumni around the world.
Harvard faculty are engaged with teaching and research
to push the boundaries of human knowledge. For
students who are excited to investigate the biggest
issues of the 21st century, Harvard offers an
unparalleled student experience and a generous
financial aid program, with over $160 million awarded
to more than 70% of our undergraduate students. The
University has twelve degree-granting Schools in
addition to the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study,
offering a truly global education.
When people refer to Harvard students, often they
mean the subset of roughly 6,700 students who attend
Harvard College. Students arrive every year in late August.
Harvard College’s diverse student population makes it hard to describe the typical student and even
harder to describe the quintessential Harvard student experience. Students come from all 50 states and
from over 80 countries; from cities, suburbs, small towns and farms; from public, private and parochial
schools; from every ethnic and religious background; and from across the economic spectrum. Based on
longstanding tradition and an extensive financial aid program, Harvard is committed to making
educational opportunity accessible to all, with over 70% of the undergraduate population receiving
financial aid.
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With over 400 official student organizations including extracurricular, co-curricular and athletic
opportunities in addition to academics, Harvard students are active around and beyond campus. Whether
in Harvard Stadium playing on the field or cheering on one of 42 Division I intercollegiate Crimson teams,
volunteering through organizations like PBHA, fostering entrepreneurial activities in the Harvard
innovation lab, writing or editing at The Harvard Crimson or The Harvard Lampoon, or researching
alongside graduate students and post-docs in top-flight research labs, Harvard students are continuously
learning—and constantly busy!
Demographics for the class of 2019 (see https://college.harvard.edu/admissions/admissions-statistics):
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17% are from New England
21% are from the Mid Atlantic
19% are from the Pacific
17% from the South
8% are from the Midwest
6% are from the Central and Mountain states
12% are international or from U.S. territories
Harvard College is committed to making a college education affordable for all admitted students. To learn
more about Harvard College financial aid programs, visit https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid.
The House System
The housing system at Harvard is
designed to create a full collegiate
experience for all four years of
undergraduate education. As
freshmen, students live in one of 17
dormitories in the historic Harvard
Yard, a prime location at the very heart
of campus, and eat in the majestic and
picturesque Annenberg dining hall.
After their first year at Harvard,
students are randomly assigned into
one of the 12 houses on campus and
continue to live there for the
remainder of their residential life at
Harvard. Over 97% of Harvard
undergrads choose to live on campus
for all four years, creating a strong campus community and undergraduate experience. A thirteenth house
(Dudley) is designated for those students who live off campus, to provide a community and sense of
identity similar to that afforded to resident students.
Each house has resident faculty deans, a resident assistant dean, and a staff of tutors and administrators
who support between three and four hundred students. Houses tend to span multiple proximate buildings
and include a dining hall, common areas, and recreational and cultural spaces that give them each a
distinct character. Many even field their own intramural sports teams or theater ensembles. The houses
themselves also have unique histories and traditions that bring the students together and help to foster
the close and long-lasting ties amongst the residents of each house.
In 2012, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and Harvard College launched a $1.3 billion effort to renew
many of the University’s 12 undergraduate Houses. Since then, two partial house renovations (Quincy and
Leverett) and one full house renovation (Dunster) have been undertaken. After a year of assessment in
2015-16, construction is about to begin this summer at Winthrop House and planning is underway for the
Lowell House renovation to begin in 2017-18. This ambitious physical construction project represents an
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important investment in residential education at Harvard College and requires a similarly ambitious
programmatic initiative to re-center student life in the Houses.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge embodies the American democratic ideal—a stimulating and accommodating place where
future presidents and immigrants study together and where residents strive for higher goals and a richer
life. It’s also one of the most exciting cities in the world, with a dazzling variety of recreation and culture
packed into a very convenient 6.5 square miles.
Over the course of its 350 years of history, Cambridge has welcomed different populations. The result is a
rich collection of neighborhoods—many of them might be called “urban villages”—providing attractive
housing of every kind, from Colonial mansions to town houses to riverfront high rises, for a wide range of
budgets. A powerful sense of history and community serves to tie neighborhoods and families together.
It's also a “walker's city,” where most
shopping and major cultural attractions are
no more than a short walk from home, and
where a European style café culture makes
every afternoon a pleasure.
Few of America’s largest cities offer as
much cultural enrichment as Cambridge.
There are twelve major museums, such as
Harvard's Fogg Museum and the Museum
of Science, featuring a planetarium and a
special effects theater. The city also hosts a
chamber orchestra, the Cambridge Pro
Arte, judged among the world's best, and
the Dance Umbrella, which has premiered
works by leading international
choreographers like Mark Morris.
Cultural variety extends to the nightlife, too, with nearly 250 restaurants representing every cuisine
imaginable, and with clubs for every musical and performance specialty—even poetry “slams,” which
attract local laureates and Nobel prize winners alike.
Neighboring Boston, of course, is a center for major league entertainment of all kinds, including the Red
Sox; Celtics; Bruins; the Boston Symphony Orchestra and Boston Pops; the Museum of Fine Arts, with its
prized collection of Impressionists; the Children's Museum; the Computer Museum; superb ballet, opera,
and theater; and the “Freedom Trail,” a unique collection of Revolutionary Era landmarks.
Within a few hours of the city there are altogether different kinds of activities—to the north, skiing; to the
south, summer getaways on Cape Cod; to the west, the Berkshire Mountains and the music of
Tanglewood; to the east, fishing and sailing the Atlantic.
Cambridge has so much more to offer its residents and visitors. Here’s a small sampling:
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Farmers’ markets, street fairs, and festivals around the city throughout the year
A public library with nearly 500,000 volumes and six neighborhood branches
Three fine hospitals--Cambridge, Youville, and Mt. Auburn—and access to Boston’s medical
centers, the best in the world
A nine hole public golf course at Fresh Pond
Nearly 60 houses of worship embracing over 20 religions
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Twelve public elementary schools, five upper schools, and a comprehensive high school that
tailor their curricula to a diverse range of learning styles and interest
Public transportation at nearly every corner: six major T stops on both the Red and Green lines,
countless bus routes criss-crossing the city, and a commuter rail station
Close proximity to Logan International Airport: 10 minutes by car and 30 minutes by subway
Youth programs at both the YMCA and the YWCA
A centrally-located, state-of-the-art senior center
Dedicated bicycle lanes along major routes, including the MinuteMan Bike Path that winds from
North Cambridge out to Lexington
Countless lush green parks and playgrounds, with regulation ball fields, football fields, and tot
lots
Private and public health clubs to suit every need
Chamber of Commerce link: http://cambridgechamber.org/.
Harvard College Mission, Vision, and Strategic Priorities
Mission
The mission of Harvard College is to educate the citizens and citizen-leaders for our society. We do this
through our commitment to the transformative power of a liberal arts and sciences education.
Beginning in the classroom with exposure to new ideas, new ways of understanding, and new ways of
knowing, students embark on a journey of intellectual transformation. Through a diverse living
environment, where students live with people who are studying different topics, who come from different
walks of life and have evolving identities, intellectual transformation is deepened and conditions for social
transformation are created. From this we hope that students will begin to fashion their lives by gaining a
sense of what they want to do with their gifts and talents, assessing their values and interests, and
learning how they can best serve the world.
Vision
Harvard College will set the standard for
residential liberal arts and sciences
education in the twenty-first century. We are
committed to creating and sustaining the
conditions that enable all Harvard College
students to experience an unparalleled
educational journey that is intellectually,
socially, and personally transformative.
Strategic Priorities
Following are the College’s five strategic
priorities for the 2016-17 year:
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Renew the meaning and purpose of a liberal arts and sciences education in the twenty-first
century;
Promote faculty engagement with students in the House and Yard;
Create effective programs for deepening a sense of belonging and connection among all Harvard
College students;
Invigorate the culture of academic, social, and personal integrity on campus;
Participate actively in the planning for the SEAS expansion to Allston (note: all SEAS students are
Harvard College students).
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Leadership
Rakesh Khurana, PhD.
Danoff Dean of Harvard College, Marvin Bower Professor of Leadership Development, Professor of
Sociology, and Faculty Dean of Cabot House
Rakesh Khurana, professor of sociology and organizational behavior at Harvard University, and Faculty
Dean of Cabot House, became Danoff Dean of Harvard College on July 1, 2014.
A distinguished scholar of organizational behavior and leadership, an award-winning teacher, and a
Faculty Dean, Khurana has been deeply involved in undergraduate issues throughout his time at Harvard,
having served on a number of important policy committees.
Khurana’s research uses a sociological perspective to focus on the processes by which elites and leaders
are selected and developed. He has written extensively about the CEO labor market and
business education.
In 2000, Khurana was appointed to the HBS faculty, and was named the Marvin Bower Professor of
Leadership and Development in 2008. He and his wife, Stephanie (M.B.A., M.P.P.’96), became Faculty
Deans of Cabot in 2010, where they continue to serve and live with their three children.
He has also been recognized for his commitment to pedagogy, twice earning the Charles M. Williams
Award for Excellence in Teaching (2008, 2012) and being nominated in 2013 for the Star Family Prize for
Excellence in Advising. He has also co-edited “The Handbook for Leadership Theory and Practice” (2010)
and “The Handbook for Teaching Leadership” (2012), seminal texts on leadership theory and
pedagogical practice.
As a member of the Harvard community, Khurana led or served on a number of policy-making panels,
including committees on Academic Integrity, Campus Culture, and the Alcohol and Other Drug Services.
In 2011-2012, he co-chaired the Committee on Harvard College Alcohol Policy. Most recently, he served
on the task force charged with recommending policies related to the privacy of electronic communications
conducted at Harvard.
Khurana received his B.S. from Cornell University, and began graduate studies at Harvard in 1993,
earning his Ph.D. in 1998 through a joint program between Harvard Business School (HBS) and the
Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).
He taught at Massachusetts Institute of Technology between 1998 and 2000. Prior to graduate school, he
worked as a founding team member of Cambridge Technology Partners.
Click here to listen to Khurana speaking on transformational learning.
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Academics
For its first 200 years Harvard College followed a curriculum consistent with the instructional style of the
period. It emphasized rhetorical principles, rote learning, and constant drilling. Harvard’s then-small
faculty was distinguished from the beginning. John Winthrop (A.B. 1732), who held the Hollis
Professorship and taught mathematics and natural philosophy from 1738 to 1779, was one of America’s
greatest men of science in the Colonial era.
Initially established to provide a learned ministry to the colonies, Harvard only later created graduate
programs. The first was medical studies in 1782, followed by law and divinity in 1816 and 1817,
respectively.
Under the presidency of Charles William Eliot (1869–1909), the number and variety of classes multiplied,
the lecture system supplanted recitation, and students were permitted a free choice of courses.
Eliot’s successor, A. Lawrence Lowell, believed there was “too much teaching and too little studying” in
Harvard College. Accordingly, throughout his presidency (1909–1933), Lowell emphasized scholarship
and honors work, eventually introducing the system of “concentration and distribution,” together with
general examinations and tutorials, which continues essentially unchanged today.
James Bryant Conant (1933-1953) further emphasized the need for breadth by introducing the first
General Education curriculum through his 1945 report General Education in a Free Society, known as the
“Red Book.”
When dissatisfaction grew over the General Education program in the 1970s, President Derek Curtis Bok
(1971–1991) oversaw its replacement by the Core Curriculum. While reaffirming the principle that every
Harvard undergraduate should be broadly educated, the Core emphasized ways of knowing, allowing for
students to choose from a range of courses in seven areas.
In 2006, Harvard conducted a review of undergraduate education, which led to a new focus on study
abroad, the creation of secondary fields, and the new Program in General Education, which replaced the
Core Curriculum in 2013. The new approach to General Education offers courses that connect in explicit
ways what students are learning in the classroom to the lives they will lead beyond college. The Program
underwent a planned review by the Faculty in 2016 and a revised program will be implemented beginning
in the Fall of 2018.
Buildings
Many of Harvard’s historic buildings, several of which date back to the 18th century, still stand today.
Massachusetts Hall (1720), Wadsworth House (1726), and Holden Chapel (1744) are the earliest. Hollis
Hall has been a dormitory since it was built in 1763.
Although nothing remains of the University’s original 17th-century buildings, brass markers in the middle
of Massachusetts Avenue now indicate where the Goffe and Peyntree Houses once stood.
Harvard Hall (1766) stands on the site of a 17th-century building of the same name. It burned down one
wintry night in 1764, destroying the 5,000-volume college library, then the largest in North America.
Old Stoughton College suffered so much damage from occupation by Continental troops during the
Revolution that it had to be torn down in 1781. A new Stoughton Hall (1805), Holworthy Hall (1812), and
University Hall (1815) now form the outline of the original Yard.
The College began taking on the aspect of a true university in the 19th century, when a library building
(1841), an observatory (1846), a scientific school (1847), a chemistry laboratory (1857), and a natural
history museum (1860) were built.
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Early in the 20th century the professional schools each acquired a new building: Medicine in 1906, Law in
1907, and Business Administration in 1926. The great central library building, named for Harry Elkins
Widener, who perished on the Titanic, dates from 1915. The present Fogg Museum dates from 1927, and
the Mallinckrodt chemical laboratory from 1929.
During the presidency of Nathan Marsh Pusey (1953–1971), government subsidy for science enabled the
building and renovating of major facilities in the areas of medicine, public health, and the basic and
applied sciences.
Diversity and Accessibility
The 20th century saw substantial efforts to open Harvard’s doors to an increasingly broad range of
students. President Pusey led fundraising campaigns that increased student financial aid, and his
successor, Derek Curtis Bok, conducted a capital campaign that included a $350 million effort to support
policies that encouraged the recruitment and appointment of outstanding women and minority scholars
to permanent faculty positions. More on Bok’s work on diversity, through the creation of the Harvard
Foundation for Intercultural and Race Relations, here: http://harvardfoundation.fas.harvard.edu/.
Neil L. Rudenstine, Harvard’s 26th president (1991–2001), made substantial efforts to keep Harvard’s
doors open to outstanding students from across the economic spectrum. Rudenstine is credited, among
other things, with guiding the creation of the new Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. He strongly
advocated the educational importance of student diversity and helped raise a record $2.6 billion for
student financial aid, professorships, building renovation, and educational and research programs.
In July 2001, Lawrence H. Summers (PhD 1982) became Harvard’s 27th president. In addition to a focus
on renewing the undergraduate experience, Summers led efforts to reach out to many more
undergraduates from low-income families. You can find more on the Harvard Financial Aid Initiative,
credited to Summer, here: https://college.harvard.edu/financial-aid/how-aid-works/harvard-financialaid-initiative.
Drew Gilpin Faust took office as Harvard’s 28th president on July 1, 2007. Previously, Faust served as
founding dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, where she guided the transformation of
Radcliffe from a college into a wide-ranging institute for advanced study.
Under her leadership, Radcliffe emerged as one of the nation’s foremost centers of scholarly and
creative enterprise.
Radcliffe
Radcliffe College was founded in 1879 “to furnish instruction and the opportunities of collegiate life to
women and to promote their higher education.” From 1879 to 1943, Harvard professors repeated to
Radcliffe students the lectures they gave at Harvard.
In 1946, the majority of Harvard courses were made coeducational.
Integration quickened in the 1960s. Harvard degrees were awarded to Radcliffe students for the first time
in 1963, and in the same year women were admitted to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. In 1967,
the doors of Lamont Library were opened to women.
President Derek Bok took the most dramatic initial steps in integration. In 1975, the two Colleges
combined admissions offices, and an equal access admissions policy was adopted.
In 1977, Harvard assumed all responsibility for undergraduate education of women. Radcliffe then
devoted increasing attention to cultivation and development of research and postgraduate programs.
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On September 14, 1999, the governing bodies of Harvard and Radcliffe completed the merger of the two
institutions. Harvard College then created the Ann Radcliffe Trust, “a set of programs for Harvard
undergraduates that seeks to raise the awareness of women and women’s issues at Harvard.”
In fall 2006, the Harvard College Women’s Center opened in Harvard Yard. The Center absorbed the Ann
Radcliffe Trust and continues outreach work on behalf of undergraduate women. The merger also
established the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, which offers non-degree instruction and executive
education programs.
Office of Student Life
The Office of Student Life (OSL) supports Harvard
College’s mission of transformative education for the
citizens and leaders of our society through the
development of a distinctive residential house
system and involvement beyond the classroom,
creating the conditions for intellectual, social, and
personal transformation. OSL and the residential
houses work to integrate the academic, residential,
and co-curricular spheres of students’ lives, linking
out-of-classroom experiences to the mission of the
College.
OSL comprises three areas, primarily: Residential
Life, Student Activities, and Equity, Diversity, and
Inclusion. OSL works collaboratively with the
Freshman Dean’s Office, the Harvard Foundation
for Intercultural and Race Relations, the Phillips
Brooks House, and the Office for the Arts to curate
an unparalleled student experience.
Organizational Structure
The Dean of Students supervises four direct reports:
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Associate Dean of Student Life
Assistant Dean of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion
Director of Operations and Human Resources
Finance Manager
The Dean of Students works collaboratively with the Faculty Deans of the Houses and the Dean of
Freshmen. The Allston Burr Assistant Deans (of the Houses) report jointly to Faculty Deans and to the
Danoff Dean of Harvard College, who designates the report to the Dean of Students.
History of the Position
Dr. Suzy M. Nelson served as dean of student life from 2005 to 2012, after serving two years as associate
dean for residential life. Before coming to Harvard, she worked as an administrator at Syracuse, Cornell,
and Siena College, as well as Bowling Green State University. She left Harvard in June 2012 to become
vice president and dean of the college at Colgate University and was recently named vice president for
student affairs at MIT.
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Dr. Stephen Lassonde was appointed dean of student life in March 2013 following an extensive national
search. He previously served five-and-a half years as deputy dean of the college at Brown and served 14
years as a history lecturer and dean of Calhoun College, one of Yale’s 12 residential colleges. He stepped
down as dean of student life in February 2016.
While Harvard conducts a national search for the dean of students, Dean of Freshmen Thomas A.
Dingman ’67 provided leadership for the Office of Student Life during the Spring 2016 term. Beginning
June 1, a team led by Dean of Administration and Finance Sheila Thimba will take over the reins at OSL
until the successful candidate assumes the position.
Responsibilities of the Position
Harvard seeks an accomplished and visionary scholar-practitioner who will guide the College’s efforts to
provide the very best student experience. Reporting to the dean of Harvard College and working in close
collaboration with other senior officers and faculty, the Dean of Students will provide thought leadership
and counsel to move the College forward while imagining new possibilities for residential and student life.
The Dean of Students will be empowered to make strategic decisions and investments that further the
College’s commitment to provide all students with a deeply transformative education and set the standard
for 21st century residential liberal arts and sciences education.
The Dean of Students, supported by a team of associate and assistant deans, will oversee and develop a
more robust Office of Student Life, help shape and implement the House Renewal project, work closely
with a broad range of University offices that deliver direct services and support to students, and develop
more systematic ways to assess, improve, and renew student-focused initiatives, benchmarking them
against best practices in student development. With an appreciation for Harvard’s traditions and
particular culture of intellectual engagement, the Dean of Students will be expected to work creatively
with others to anticipate and provide constructive responses to challenging student and community
issues. Further, the Dean of Students will be expected to sustain a high level of direct engagement with
students and enhance the College’s culture of consultation by proactively involving students in planning
and decision making. The Dean of Students will manage a $14 million budget and will work closely with
26 faculty deans and the Dean of Freshmen, oversee 13 residential deans, and supervise five direct
reports.
Characteristics of the Successful Candidate
Basic requirements include an advanced degree and at least ten years of progressively responsible
leadership experience in higher education working with students. A doctorate is preferred along with
some undergraduate teaching experience.
Harvard is seeking a thoughtful, energetic, creative, and highly collaborative Dean of Students who knows
and appreciates the academic world, has a keen grasp of contemporary student issues, and finds joy in
connecting with students and helping them flourish on campus. The position requires a talented and
experienced leader of people and programs who thinks strategically, manages resources wisely, acts with
the highest degree of integrity, and inspires the confidence and trust of others. The ideal candidate will
possess significant leadership experience in higher education; a record of accomplishment in promoting
student engagement, transformative learning, and well-being; a deep understanding of the integral
relationship between academic and co-curricular life; an ability to forge partnerships with faculty and
residential deans; an ability to respond effectively to challenging student and community issues; and the
ability to influence strategic decision making, drive innovation, and thrive in a highly complex and
matrixed organization. The Dean of Students will also demonstrate a passion for working with students, a
deep commitment to diversity and inclusion, and an affinity for the distinctive mission and character of
Harvard College.
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Likely Opportunities and Challenges of the Position
Key opportunities and challenges for the Dean of Students include:
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Providing energetic and focused leadership to the Office of Student Life;
Contributing to the House Renewal project and collaborating with others to build out a parallel
structure of programmatic renewal in the Houses;
Deepening the impact of the work of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion;
Identifying increasingly effective ways to help highly motivated and engaged students balance
their academic, extracurricular, and social lives;
Promoting seamless integration of the first year experience with the upperclass experience;
Developing inclusive social alternatives on campus and deepening a sense of belonging,
connection, and social responsibility among all students;
Synthesizing the provision of services by offices within the College and outside of it—medical and
mental health, athletics, public safety, academic support, transportation, dining, financial aid,
career services, student employment, and so on—that are critical to the overall student experience
at the College;
Finding durable ways to balance tradition with contemporary practice; to identify, diagnose, and
treat gaps in student support; to thrive in a complex organizational structure; and to build and
sustain community in the face of demographic change.
Benefits Overview
Harvard offers comprehensive benefits as part of a competitive total rewards package. Click here for a
total compensation summary for administrative and professional staff.
Application and Nomination
Applications, including a position-specific cover letter and resume, may be submitted online at
http://www.spelmanandjohnson.com/open-positions/. Confidential inquiries and nominations for this
position may be emailed to James M. Norfleet at [email protected]. Applicants needing
reasonable accommodation to participate in the application process should contact Spelman Johnson at
413-529-2895.
Spelman Johnson
Dean of Students – Harvard College
James M. Norfleet, Search Associate
Ellen Heffernan, President
Visit Harvard’s website at www.harvard.edu
We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for
employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected
veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected by law.
Spelman Johnson has prepared this document based on personal interviews and information copied, compiled or quoted in part
from source documents obtained from our client institution, and as such, the contents of this document are believed to be reliable.
While every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this information, the original source documents and factual situations
govern, and the material presented here should be relied upon for informational purposes only.
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