But figuring out how to combine the two spheres of the student experience and still maintain a manageable workload has been difficult, and Dingman says the sought-after integration of these components is far from complete.

“I don’t think we’re there yet,” Dingman says. “We can do better.”

Gross says the very institutional history of the deanship has become an impediment.

“We’re getting over decades of a culture of separation,” Gross says.

HUMANIZING THE DEANSHIP

Despite his administrative responsibilities, and the need for him to pick and choose his involvements, Gross still has wide appeal among both faculty and students.

Faculty members still consider Gross to be an academic—and not a bureaucrat—at heart. He’s even won over the notoriously hard-nosed government professor, Harvey C. Mansfield ’53.

“He’s shrewd,” Mansfield says. “He’s not rule-bound but he’s intelligent with people which is unusual for a mathematician.”

Gross’ ability to connect to administrators and students alike has helped him in his roles as academic planner, student life administrator and professor.

“There’s no artifice there,” Dingman says. “That’s genuine.”

Gross’ style in meetings is contemplative. Leaning back in his chair, head in his hands, Gross could be sleeping—and quips that at times, he wishes he were.

But those administrators who meet with him often say they are frequently surprised by his uncanny ability to remain alert and summarize discussions accurately. He thinks quickly, and several administrators and House Masters note that he often knows what a speaker is going to say even before a sentence is finished.

Though he’s had to delegate much day-to-day business to his staff, he remains updated about the goings-on across the College.

And colleagues note his unflagging dedication and compassion to students, which has allowed him to maintain good humor throughout a trying first term.

He begins meetings with casual conversation, taking care to remember details about his colleagues’ activities, and often brings a levity to committee meetings and conversations.