After two years as the College’s second in command, Deputy Dean of the College Patricia O’Brien will be taking a personal leave of absence beginning next month, Dean of the College Benedict H. Gross ’71 announced yesterday.

"I write with the news that Pat O’Brien will be taking a personal leave of absence from the College, effective August 1, 2006," Gross wrote in the e-mail, which was sent to both House masters and College administrative staff.

O’Brien will continue to serve as Co-Master of Currier House along with her husband, Joseph L. Badaracco, Jr., a professor of business ethics at Harvard Business School.

The letter, first posted on the web journal of Harvard commentator Richard Bradley, did not state how long the leave will last or whether O’Brien will resume her post as deputy dean when she returns.

In the e-mail, Gross also did not announce a successor.

Gross and O’Brien did not respond to requests for comment last night.

Masters and co-masters from four houses—Lowell House Co-Master Dorothy A. Austin, Kirkland House Co-Master Tom Conley, Quincy House Master Robert P. Kirshner, and Eliot House Co-Master Lino Pertile—confirmed Thursday night that they had received Gross’ e-mail announcing that O’Brien would be taking a leave of absence and "thanking her for her service at the university."

Project Manager for Loker Commons Planning and Programming Development Zachary A. Corker ’04 confirmed that the e-mail was also sent to College staff.

Pertile called the announcement "absolutely sudden." Pertile said that he had not heard anything about O’Brien leaving in the past, adding that someone else is bound to take over.

—Paras D. Bhayani contributed to the reporting of this article.
—Staff writer Ying Wang can be reached at yingwang@fas.harvard.edu.