McLoughlin declined a request to comment for this article.

MS. NELSON IS MISSING

When a group of discontented students were chanting slogans and pitching tents outside of University Hall, the College sent Nelson out into the crowd to be its messenger to Occupy Harvard.

Ebrahim speculated that Nelson was chosen to represent the College during the tense negotiations that night “because we see her as the most genuinely empathetic administrator.”

“It was a testament to the way administrators relied on her even in the testiest times,” Ebrahim said.

During her seven years in the College administration, Nelson was very often “behind the scenes helping others to plan events, programs, and opportunities for students,” she wrote in an email.

In March, Nelson announced her decision to leave Harvard for Colgate University, where she has been named vice president and dean of Colgate College.

Calling Nelson’s departure a huge loss for the College, Ebrahim said, “Whether they bring in someone new or promote internally, no one would have the rapport that Dean Nelson built up with students over seven years of service.”

Harris said he thought that the gap left by Nelson would require other administrators to take over additional job duties. “There are still plenty of people who are staying behind who have expertise and experience.... They will surely be asked to step up a bit, and I am sure they will respond well,” he said, adding that Hammonds has acquired the student life expertise to take on some of Nelson’s work.

NOT MUCH TO HEAR

A UC-sponsored town hall meeting at which Hammonds, University President Drew G. Faust, and Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Michael D. Smith spoke to undergraduates in October was the most visible of University Hall’s many efforts this year to convince students that administrators are listening to them.

In response to feedback from the Class of 2014, Hammonds wrote in a September email, the College extended Annenberg Hall’s hours until midnight to give freshmen a space to socialize. And in December, the College announced a new Task Force on Student Voice to discuss ways to enhance communication between administrators and students.

The College reached out to students throughout the year as it drafted its new alcohol policy and devised plans for the renovation of Old Quincy.

The administration held a series of evening meetings and opened an online comment box to solicit student feedback on drinking culture before releasing a new alcohol policy in March.

Administrators also held a number of informal meetings with Quincy residents to gather input on the furnishings and design of Old Quincy, which will be renovated next year.