Interim Expos Head Made Permanent

After what Dean of the College Evelynn M. Hammonds called a “nationwide search” by the College administration, Interim Director of the Harvard College Writing Program Thomas R. Jehn has been named the program’s permanent director, Hammonds announced in an e-mail to students yesterday.

A writing instructor at the College since 1997, Jehn has served as interim director of the program—which oversees the Expository Writing program, the only required course at Harvard—since former Director Nancy Sommers stepped down in the summer of 2007.

Assistant Director of the Harvard College Writing Program James P. Herron called Jehn’s selection a “great choice.”

“He’s a really great administrator; he’s done a fine job as interim director and he brings a lot of knowledge about working with students,” said Herron.

According to Herron, Jehn has focused on better integrating students’ Expos experiences with the writing they are doing in their other classes.

He also added that Jehn hopes to increase the number of Expos classes offered on topics relating to the social sciences.

“He displays a deep commitment to teaching the craft of writing, and his vision for curricular and co-curricular initiatives will provide new support for writing activities throughout the College,” wrote Dean of Undergraduate Education Jay M. Harris—who led the director search—in the e-mail.

Jehn served as the director of the Extension School Writing Center from 2000 until 2003, when he was appointed assistant director of the Harvard Writing Project.

In addition to Expos, the Harvard College Writing Program comprises the Harvard Writing Project and the Harvard College Writing Center.

“Dr. Jehn’s experience in a wide array of writing initiatives at Harvard makes him uniquely positioned to lead and develop the College Writing Program successfully,” Hammonds wrote. “We are confident that the program will continue to flourish under his guidance, as it serves the varying needs of College writers.”

After directing the Expos program for 13 years, Sommers announced in July 2007 that she would be “on leave” for the coming academic year.

She then told The Crimson a month later that she did not plan to return to her position as Expos director but would not specify her reasons for leaving the program.

Associate Dean of Undergraduate Academic Programs Georgene B. Herschbach told The Crimson last year that the College was postponing the search for a permanent Writing Program director until after the selection of a permanent dean of the College.

Though Hammonds was selected for the post in March 2008, Herron said the College did not being a search for the director until this spring.

Jehn could not be reached for comment yesterday.

—Staff writer Lauren D. Kiel can be reached at lkiel@fas.harvard.edu.