Harvard dean of freshmen departs and more

The dean of freshmen departs, Rhodes and Marshall scholars, and more

Freshman Dean Graduates


Thomas A. Dingman
Photograph by Kris Snibbe/HPAC

Six months after celebrating his fiftieth College reunion (Commencement Confetti, July-August 2017, page 19), dean of freshmen Thomas A. Dingman said he will step down next June. Dean of the College Rakesh Khurana made the announcement on November 16, lauding Dingman for 45 years of Harvard service, culminating in his current responsibilities, which he assumed in 2005, and citing “his integrity, the calming presence that he brings to all situations, and the passion he has for helping students make the transition from home and high school” to their new Crimson community. Dingman has overseen initiatives like the Convocation ceremony, the freshman discussion sessions on making life choices, and the pre-orientation program being designed for first-generation and low-income students entering Harvard this coming August. Dingman told The Harvard Crimson that he looks forward to more family and travel time, but he has also agreed to serve as an adviser to Khurana, in part to help raise funds to support the student experience.

UK-Bound

Four seniors have been awarded Rhodes Scholarships for study at Oxford University: Tania N. Fabo, of Quincy House and Saugus, Massachusetts (a human development and regenerative biology concentrator); Harold Xavier Gonzalez, of Winthrop House and Houston (mathematics); Samarth Gupta, of Lowell House and Acton, Massachusetts (economics); and Alan Yang, of Quincy House and Dresher, Pennsylvania (molecular and cellular biology). In addition, three Harvardians have won international Rhodes awards: New Zealander Jamie Beaton ’17, S.M. ’16 (applied math and economics); Zimbabwean Terrens Muradzikwa ’18, of Dunster House and Mutare (economics); and Trinidadian Mandela Patrick ’18, of Currier House and San Fernando (computer science). Harvard’s sole Marshall Scholar is Elizabeth Keto, of Quincy House and Chevy Chase, Maryland (history of art and architecture); she plans to study at the Courtauld Institute of Art, in London.

Erasmus Honorand


Michèle Lamont
Photograph by Jon Chase/HPAC

Michèle Lamont, Goldman professor of European studies and professor of sociology and of African and African American studies, has been awarded the 2017 Erasmus Prize, accompanied by a €150,000 honorarium. Her research has probed the connections between inequality and social exclusion and how stigmatized groups preserve their dignity.

Morehouse Men


David A. Thomas
Photograph by Moorehouse College

David A. Thomas, Fitzhugh professor of business administration, and the former dean of Georgetown’s McDonough School of Business, has been appointed president of Morehouse College. He succeeds John Silvanus Wilson Jr., M.T.S. ’81, Ed.M. ’82, Ed.D. ’85 (profiled in “Morehouse Man, Redux,” November-December 2013, page 72).

You might also like

Lafayette’s Unexpected Gift to George Washington: Pheasants

The two birds will be on display at Harvard this summer.

Government Seeks to Move Funding Case to Contracts Court

In a new appellate brief, the Trump administration shifts its argument for rescinding Harvard’s grants.

Harvard Graduate Student Workers Strike

Union demands higher pay, protections for non-citizen members, and changes to the harassment complaint process.

Most popular

AI Outperforms Doctors in Emergency Room Tasks, New Harvard Study Shows

Researchers say the technology could help physicians with triage, diagnosis.

Why Is Silicon Valley Turning Conservative?

At the Harvard Kennedy School, Van Jones analyzes how Democrats lost the tech industry’s vote.

At Harvard Talk, Retired Supreme Court Justice Breyer Defends Shadow Docket

The current law professor also spoke about affirmative action, partisanship, and the limits of “bright-line rules.”

Explore More From Current Issue

A woman in glasses gestures while speaking to two attentive listeners at a table.

How to Cook with Wild Plants

From wild greens spanakopita to rose petal panna cotta, forager and chef Ellen Zachos makes one-of-a-kind meals.

Woman with long hair, smiling, wearing a black sweater, in a textured beige background.

For This Poet, AI is a Writing Partner

Sasha Stiles trained a chatbot on her manuscripts. Now, her poems rewrite themselves.

A woman with long hair leans on a table, looking out a large window with rain-streaked glass.

A Harvard Economist Probes the Affordable Housing Crisis

From understanding gender pay gaps to the housing crisis, Rebecca Diamond’s research aims to improve lives.