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Restructuring Radcliffe
New Proposal Designed to Consolidate Programs, Position of Dean of College Cut
Radcliffe College is currently undergoing a major reorganization intended to consolidate its programs and to focus its resources toward undergraduate needs.
The reorganization, unveiled by Radcliffe President Linda S. Wilson on November 14, 1995, effectively divided Radcliffe into two umbrella groups.
The first group, the Radcliffe Educational Programs (REP), includes all undergraduate extracurricular programs and all post-baccalaureate and graduate programs currently offered by the school. These programs include the Radcliffe Seminars, the Office of the Arts for Harvard and Radcliffe, the Radcliffe Publishing Course and the Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies at Harvard.
The second new group, the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Studies (RIAS), unites the College's Bunting Institute, Murray Research Center, Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America and the Radcliffe Public Policy Institute.
A new umbrella group, the Radcliffe Graduate Studies Center, will also offer career programming services similar to those now offered by Radcliffe Career Services (RCS).
"What we are going really is managing to get the whole to be much more than the sum of the parts," Wilson said in November. "The reorganization has helped us to clarify our mission and who our critical constituents are."
Although the bulk of the reorganization will take effect July 1, the restructuring will be implemented over the next four years.
The reorganization will also eliminate the post of dean of the College and most of the RCS staff.
The loss of Dean of Radcliffe College Philippa A. Bovet, who has served in that position for 17 years, has drawn strong reaction from students.
Megan L. Peimer '97, co-president of the Radcliffe Union of Students (RUS), expressed "incredible disappointment" at Bovet's impending departure.
"I can't imagine what Radcliffe is going to be like without her," she said.
In the wake of the restructuring, 73 female undergraduates signed a letter to Wilson protesting the elimination of Bovet's position.
The letter, dated December 1, expressed "severe dismay" at the elimination of Bovet's position.
"Though we are pleased by the renewed focus on undergraduate programming such as the research partnerships, we are disturbed that the person who was the driving force behind this and other initiatives is being left out of the process," the letter read.
Even Wilson, a major player in the decision to eliminate Bovet's position, described the outgoing dean as "a wonderful performer for the College" and "very highly valued."
But Wilson said Radcliffe simply doesn't have the money to pay the salaries of both the dean of the College and a new dean of educational programs.
The job description of the dean of educational programs will include many of the duties formerly assigned to the dean of the College.
Because the new dean's responsibilities extend beyond those of the dean of the College, the job also requires a person with extensive academic credentials at "a scholarly level that we don't currently have," according to Radcliffe spokesperson Carolyn Chamberlin.
This additional requirement rendered Bovet unfit for the post, both Wilson and Chamberlin said.
Bovet herself declined to comment on her ability to serve as dean of educational programs, but said she will not remain at Radcliffe.
"I will be somewhere else," she said told The Crimson earlier this semester. "I'm giving a great deal of thought to that, but I have nothing specific to say at this time."
She added that Radcliffe has not offered her a new job.
The other significant shake-up resulting from the reorganization is the dismissal of nine employees at RCS and the scaling back of that office's services.
The Radcliffe Graduate Studies Center, a by-product of the restructuring, will offer career programming services similar to those now offered by RCS, but will not have feefor-service career counseling.
Junior Radcliffe administrators said they are particularly upset about the loss of their colleagues.
"It's very hard to separate personal feelings from my understanding and hope of how these changes will affect Radcliffe," said Mary V. Carty '74, executive director of the Radcliffe College Alumnae Association.
But senior administrators say the new structure will allow Radcliffe to organize its services more efficiently.
Wilson described Radcliffe's current set-up as "a set of very successful but disparate programs."
By grouping the programs into two separate subdivisions, Wilson said she can more easily realize her three-pronged vision for Radcliffe--new programs, stronger research and a refocused educational mission.
But the undergraduates who administrators said will benefit from the changes don't necessarily favor the restructuring.
Several Radcliffe student leaders protested Bovet's impending dismissal and the elimination of her position, saying the move signals a shift away from Radcliffe's concentration on undergraduates.
And they have almost unanimously agreed that they were unfairly cut out of the decision-making process that led to the changes.
In an interview after an informational meeting in December describing the changes, Melissa G. Liazos '96 said she "was more worried going out of the meeting than coming in, because it was evident that there hadn't been any undergraduate input" beyond informal chats.
"Radcliffe should make a concerted...effort to get undergraduate input into the actual implementation," said Sarah H. Lieberman '96, a former RUS co-president.
The process and nature of the reorganization have led some students to question Radcliffe's commitment to undergraduates.
Peimer said she sees the restructuring as "a loss of attention to undergraduates" and the beginning of Radcliffe's evolution into a think-tank or public policy center.
"I think it will be a shame if future generations of undergraduate women lose the Radcliffe part of Harvard-Radcliffe," she said.
Before
Board of Trustees
President of Radcliffe College Linda S. Wilson After Board of Trustees President of Radcliffe College Linda S. Wilson Dean of Educational Programs (appointment pending) Radcliffe Institute For Advanced Studies Radcliffe Public Policy Institute Schlesinger Library Bunting Institute Murray Research Center
After Board of Trustees President of Radcliffe College Linda S. Wilson Dean of Educational Programs (appointment pending) Radcliffe Institute For Advanced Studies Radcliffe Public Policy Institute Schlesinger Library Bunting Institute Murray Research Center
After
Board of Trustees
President of Radcliffe College Linda S. Wilson Dean of Educational Programs (appointment pending) Radcliffe Institute For Advanced Studies Radcliffe Public Policy Institute Schlesinger Library Bunting Institute Murray Research Center
Dean of Educational Programs (appointment pending) Radcliffe Institute For Advanced Studies Radcliffe Public Policy Institute Schlesinger Library Bunting Institute Murray Research Center
Radcliffe Institute For Advanced Studies Radcliffe Public Policy Institute Schlesinger Library Bunting Institute Murray Research Center
Radcliffe Institute For Advanced Studies
Radcliffe Public Policy Institute
Schlesinger Library
Bunting Institute
Murray Research Center
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