UPDATED: January 15, 2013, at 12:55 a.m.

Stephen Lassonde, deputy dean of the college at Brown University, has been named Harvard College’s new dean of student life. He will assume the position in late March.

Katherine Bergeron, dean of the college at Brown, announced Lassonde’s departure in an email to Brown students on Monday. Bergeron praised Lassonde for his work to improve academic advising and reform the deliberative procedures of Brown’s Committee on Academic Standing.

“His departure represents a huge loss for our community,” Bergeron wrote.

Dean of Harvard College Evelynn M. Hammonds also praised Lassonde in an email to Harvard students later on Monday.

“Dean Lassonde brings a wealth of experience on all the issues the OSL oversees, including student services, academic standing, undergraduate advising, support for underrepresented student populations,” Hammonds wrote. “These will all be critical areas for the College in the coming years.”

As the new dean of student life, Lassonde will head the College’s Office of Student Life, which has seen the turnover of several administrators in the past year.

The permanent dean of student life position has been vacant since Suzy M. Nelson departed in June to become vice president and dean of the college at Colgate University. When Nelson’s departure was announced in March, Joshua G. McIntosh was named interim dean of student life, but in June he too announced that he would leave for another position at Johns Hopkins University.

Lassonde, who is also an adjunct assistant history professor, spent nearly six years at Brown. He received his Ph.D. in American Studies from Yale University, and also has served as an assistant dean at Yale College.

—Staff writer Laya Anasu can be reached at layaanasu@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff Writer Elizabeth S. Auritt can be reached at eauritt@college.harvard.edu.