Math’s Gross Tapped as Undergraduate Education Dean

Former Mathematics chair Benedict H. “Dick” Gross ’71 has been selected as the next Dean of Undergraduate Education and is charged with administering the broadest review of the College’s curriculum since the 1970s.

The Leverett Professor of Mathematics, Gross said he was “delighted” when Dean of the Faculty William C. Kirby offered him the position in mid-August.

The University announced Gross’ selection last week.

Gross said his top priority will be meeting with faculty members and gathering student input to prepare for the review. But his most immediate challenge will be implementing last year’s major reforms to study abroad and policies on honors and grading, he said.

Gross has been chair of the mathematics department for the last three years and has served on three standing committees since being hired as a tenured professor from Brown in 1985.

Kirby said in a press release that Gross’ experience in faculty affairs would serve him well in his new post.

“Dick’s deep knowledge of the University, his wide-ranging intellect and great energy, and his proven dedication to undergraduate education will serve the faculty and students well,” Kirby said.

According to Susan G. Pedersen ’81-’82, who resigned as Dean of Undergraduate Education last spring for personal reasons, the breadth of Gross’ service in faculty administration—including stints on the Study Out of Residence and Admissions and Financial Aid committees—should provide him with the broad perspective necessary for the position.

“Probably the most important attribute for this position is an ability to see the big picture,” Pedersen wrote in an e-mail. “The trick is to make sure that each individual program works as part of the whole. Dick has had lots of experience at that already, since he’s been involved with many different parts of the undergraduate curriculum.”

Kirby’s predecessor as Dean, Jeremy R. Knowles, also drew attention to Gross’ track record in faculty governance, citing his commitment to undergraduate education.

Gross, who officially took over last week, said he expects to take his first steps on curricular review in the next few weeks when Kirby returns from vacation.

Gross will continue to teach his Core class, Quantitative Reasoning 28“The Magic of Numbers,” but will not lead the two sections of multivariate calculus he had planned to due to the demands of the deanship.

—Dan Rosenheck can be reached at rosenhec@fas.harvard.edu.