Crimson Yard Resident Dean Resigns

Suzanne E. Duke resigned from her position as Crimson Yard resident dean of freshmen due to medical reasons last Tuesday, only two days before freshman move-in day.

Former Assistant Dean of Residential life Catherine R. Shapiro has taken over the position for the year.

Throughout Opening Days, Duke’s duties were divided among the staff of the Freshman Dean’s Office. The proctor trainings and information packets for freshmen referenced Duke, so the shift “required adjustments,” said Dean of Freshmen Thomas A. Dingman ’67.

Yesterday, Duke’s responsibilities were still dispersed among FDO staff, as Shapiro was busy working on administrative tasks.

Shapiro, who served as the chief of staff for the president of Bryn Mawr College—Jane McAuliffe—last year, began moving to Cambridge from her home near Bryn Mawr in Philadelphia last Saturday.

She began work on Monday and said she is still transitioning into her new role.

“It is a little confusing to have a new resident dean right now, but students shouldn’t feel unsupported,” Shapiro said.

Proctors and freshmen living in Crimson Yard­—which includes Greenough, Hurlbut, Pennypacker, and Wigglesworth dorms­—were notified of the change via e-mail.

Freshmen living in Crimson Yard said that so far they have mostly interacted with their proctors and their Peer Advising Fellows, so they did not notice the absence of their resident dean in the past week.

The night Duke resigned, the senior staff at the Freshman Dean’s Office immediately met and decided to reach out to Shapiro, Dingman said.

As there was no time to conduct a full search, Shapiro’s position is still on an interim basis.

After consulting with the senior staff of Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds, the FDO extended an offer to Shapiro.

“I knew that she was somebody with a big heart and a strong analytical bent, and we were delighted when we learned that she was available and interested,” Dingman said of Shapiro.

Shapiro also has extensive experience working at Harvard. Before her year at Bryn Mawr, Shapiro was the assistant dean of residential life, a position she held after having served as the Leverett House resident dean.

“Last year, I had very limited opportunities to talk to students, so I’m thrilled to be back meeting as many people as I can,” she said.

Shapiro added that her 10-year-old son is also happy to be back at Harvard, as he grew up in Leverett.

Both Dingman and Shapiro described Duke as beloved by her proctors and her colleagues at the FDO.

“We were saddened by the sudden change in plans of Dean Duke,” Dingman said. “Students and proctors respected her and found her enthusiastically available and thoughtful,” he added.

—Staff writer Danielle J. Kolin can be reached at dkolin@fas.harvard.edu.