Lizabeth Cohen Appointed Radcliffe Institute Interim Dean

Jones professor of American studies Lizabeth Cohen will become interim dean of the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, starting July 1, President Drew Faust announced today.

Cohen specializes in twentieth-century American social and political history and American urban design and physical planning. Her books include Making a New Deal: Industrial Workers in Chicago, 1919-1939 and A Consumers' Republic: The Politics of Mass Consumption in Postwar America.

Since arriving at Harvard from New York University in 1997, Cohen has co-chaired a working group on pedagogy for a review of undergraduate education and co-chaired a University steering committee to explore making better use of common spaces on campus. (One example of the group's recommendations: the chairs that now fill Harvard Yard during nice weather.)

Cohen is a longtime member of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Standing Committee on the Status of Women. She was a Radcliffe Fellow during the 2001-02 academic year.

The Radcliffe Institute's current dean, Barbara Grosz, Higgins professor of natural sciences, announced earlier this month that she would step down at the end of the academic year.