After the abrupt consolidation of the deanship a year ago, the administrative split is back.

AMBITIOUS BEGINNINGS

When Gross took on the combined deanship, he was a novice in the College bureaucracy—he had only become dean of undergraduate education in fall 2002.

Despite his inexperience, Gross was effectively charged with a set of tasks overwhelming enough to daunt even the most industrious: juggling the responsibilities of two deans while streamlining the bureaucracy, managing several lower-ranking deans and maintaining oversight of 6,500 college students.

And that wasn’t all.

Gross was also one of three top administrators heading the College’s first major curricular review in 25 years, announced by Kirby in 2001. Gross joined Associate Dean of the College Jeffrey Wolcowitz (who had worked under Gross as an associate dean of undergraduate education) and Kirby in coordinating the review’s subcommittees and sitting on the steering committee.

Gross, who has also been a tenured professor in the math department since 1985, had his plate full with what was effectively three full-time jobs.

He has had to work hard to manage what some called his new “über-deanship.”

“I realized earlier in the year that the job I was taking on was my job from last year, Dean Lewis’ job from last year, and the curricular review,” Gross says, “and that was just too much.”

He says the most difficult part of his first year has been deciding how to split his time between the curricular review, standing College committees such as committees on House and College life, and “getting to know enough students so that I really have an informed opinion about what the heck is going on.”

Gross has coped in part by delegating duties. He appointed several individuals to top College administrative posts last summer. Now, all the offices in University Hall are full, with many of their occupants newcomers to the building—just as Gross was.

SUPER MAN

The curricular review—the hallmark of this year’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) administration—has consumed 20 to 30 percent of Gross’ time, he says.

In any given week, he will attend steering committee meetings, consult with members of the Faculty, meet with Kirby and Wolcowitz, solicit students’ opinions in the Houses and read stacks of research about the curricula at peer institutions.

Gross says that though he expected the curricular review to be a primary focus for the year, it has surpassed his projections.