Word: fox
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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With due respect for his contribution to the needs of the College, there's also a flip side to John Fox. Not that he hasn't done a fine job of watching out for the College's needs. He has. And it is perhaps because of Fox's notable record that one must pause upon hearing what some of his colleagues had to say, privately, when they heard last week that he will be leaving. I ankly, many House Masters--who work closely with Fox-acknowledged their relief at his upcoming departure. Saying in confidence what those students...
...even know what the Dean of the College does? Most students do not, according to a Crimson poll of two years back. And have you ever met or dealt with Fox? Most of you have not. Does it or should it matter? Indeed, we think it should. As the top person responsible for the lives of Harvard undergraduates, the dean of the College is someone whose contact with students should extend beyond the closed-door meetings of the mysterious Administrative Board and the limited forum of student-faculty committees, attended regularly by but a select few Undergraduate Council members. More...
During John Fox's tenure, the deanship has become primarily a crisis-management position. When Mather House students complained about their crowded rooms, Fox was there. When North House students wanted to complain about the renovation plan. Fox was there. As for anticipating problems or soothing feathers before they've been fully ruffled, however, Fox has long been reluctant to address directly the concerns of irate undergraduates on a variety of issues. Only last year did he accede to persistent requests that he establish open office hours for those students too intimidated to go through his normal appointment-making routine...
...COMING WEEKS and months, Dean of the Faculty A. Michael Spence, to whom the dean of the College reports, will choose a method for finding Fox's successor. He may choose, according to his wont, to name an insider, to look nationwide, to reorganize the College's administration entirely. Whatever he does, we hope that he will speak directly to those familiar with Fox's successes and failures, his style and methods, before deciding what to do in the wake of Fox's departure. Specifically, Spence should solicit more than the views of those who are here for longer than...
Above all, Spence should realize that this appointment, his most significant since taking office this year, will indicate a lot about what the role of the dean of the college is, and the type of person best suited to fill it. While John Fox has many significant achievements to his credit, he has not been as receptive and outgoing as we would wish a dean of the College to be. We hope that the next dean will be not only a highly efficient administrator, but also a compassionate listener, someone less concerned with the bottom line than with the real...