I am very pleased to announce that Bridget Terry Long, Saris Professor of Education and Economics, will become the next dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, beginning July 1, 2018. I consulted closely with President-elect Bacow during the final stages of the search, and he shares my enthusiasm about its outcome.
Professor Long is a distinguished and influential scholar of economics whose work connects questions of policy and practice, especially as they relate to the transition from high school to higher education. From 2013 to 2017, she served as academic dean of the HGSE and made significant contributions to strategic plans for the School’s next decade. Widely recognized as an outstanding teacher, she takes very seriously her role as a guide and mentor, establishing lifelong relationships with many of her advisees. Her faculty colleagues describe her as an excellent and committed citizen with an abiding affection for the School.
Professor Long received her PhD from Harvard in 2000 and went on to join the faculty of the Harvard Graduate School of Education. In addition to her deep ties to the University, she has a strong record of service to her profession. She is a research associate of the National Bureau of Economic Research and member of the board of directors of MDRC, a nonprofit organization focused on education and social policy research. She has been a presidential appointee and served as chair of the National Board for Education Sciences, the advisory panel of the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. She is a trustee of the Buckingham Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge. She also was appointed by Governor Deval Patrick to the Public Education Nominating Council of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. These influential roles, spanning the private and public sectors, have informed her readiness to lead the School.
Professor Long brings the energy and imagination to create an environment that will nurture new ideas and inspire solutions to some of the most pressing problems in education. HGSE’s commitment to producing research and to creating useable knowledge is central to its dedication to students everywhere. Improving educational opportunities for all will mean moving forward with the School’s ambitious agenda to change the methods by which practitioners are trained, while simultaneously deepening understanding of the conditions necessary for learning. Professor Long is extraordinarily capable of leading the School towards these goals.
Provost Garber and I are grateful to the many members of the HGSE community and beyond who offered advice during the search and helped us to arrive at this excellent outcome. We especially wish to thank the members of the faculty advisory committee who invested so much time and care in this process. And Alan and I again thank Jim Ryan for his remarkable leadership and for all that he has done to move HGSE forward and to secure its future.
Please join Provost Garber, President-elect Bacow, and me in congratulating Bridget Terry Long as she prepares to take up her new role as dean. I know that she will rely on the insight, collaboration, and support of the HGSE community as she guides the School in the years ahead.
Sincerely,
Drew Faust
PS: For more on today’s announcement, please see a related news release.