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Updated August 29, 2024, at 2:14 p.m.

Harvard College Dean Rakesh Khurana, one of the longest-serving senior officials in Harvard’s administration, will step down at the end of the 2024-25 academic year, capping an 11-year tenure marked by backlash surrounding his efforts to combat final clubs and discipline pro-Palestine student protesters.

Khurana announced his departure in an email to College affiliates Thursday afternoon, saying that serving as dean “has been one of the greatest honors and joys of my life.”

He also revealed that he had intended to leave office last year, but remained in the role to provide stability amid the leadership crisis sparked by former Harvard President Claudine Gay resignation earlier this year.

“A year ago, I was prepared to make this announcement as I began the final year of my second term and what at the time I believed would be the closing chapter of my deanship. However, fate had different plans, and at the request of senior leadership, I agreed to remain for an additional year to support transitions at the University,” Khurana wrote.

Khurana will remain at Harvard, where he holds faculty positions in the College’s Sociology department and at the Harvard Business School, according to College spokesperson Jonathan Palumbo. Prior to his appointment as dean in 2014, Khurana and his wife Stephanie R. Khurana served as Cabot House faculty deans — a position they held until 2020.

Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi E. Hoekstra praised Khurana in a separate email on Thursday for his leadership throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and his “commitment to inclusion.”

“I am particularly grateful for Rakesh’s continued service this past year, providing continuity during the changes in leadership at the FAS and the University,” Hoekstra wrote. “During my first year as FAS Dean, I benefited enormously from his deep knowledge and experience, as well as his friendship.”

Hoekstra added that the search for Khurana’s successor would begin soon. The search will be supported by a faculty search advisory committee and input from students, faculty, and alumni.

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Khurana’s departure comes after a tumultuous spring semester marked by an intense media spotlight on the College and the 20-day pro-Palestine encampment in Harvard Yard. Khurana, who is the most well-known administrator among undergraduates, faced fierce criticism for his role in sanctioning students who participated in the campus protests last semester.

As chair of the Administrative Board, the committee charged with the application and enforcement of the College’s rules and policies, Khurana was deemed responsible by some students and faculty members for the decision to deny 13 seniors their undergraduate degrees at Commencement over their involvement in the encampment.

The University initially ignored the criticism and more than 1,000 people participated in a walkout during the degree conferral process at Commencement. But in a sudden reversal over the summer, the Ad Board dropped the suspensions of five students for participating in the encampment and downgraded disciplinary charges against other students after the Faculty Council disagreed with the severity of the sanctions.

And in July, the Harvard Corporation, the University’s highest governing body, released degrees to 11 of the 13 seniors.

Earlier in his tenure, Khurana faced an uproar from many alumni over his failed effort to combat final clubs and unrecognized single-gender social groups. Harvard’s leadership claimed at the time that the groups were elitist and contributed to divisions in undergraduate social life, and sought to diminish their influence at the College.

Following Khurana’s recommendations, then-University President Drew Gilpin Faust implemented a policy in 2016 against final clubs that barred members from holding leadership positions in student groups and athletic teams, and from receiving the College’s endorsement for certain postgraduate fellowships.

The policies, however, failed to dismantle the male final clubs which were supported by wealthy alumni. And they unintentionally had a more severe impact on sororities, which were quickly forced to shut down or become co-ed groups. At one point in 2018, all of the sororities at Harvard had ceased to exist.

The University dropped its sanctions against final clubs in response to a 2020 Supreme Court ruling on sex discrimination. Some female-only groups returned to campus after social groups sued Harvard over the sanctions.

Khurana’s efforts to go after final clubs impacted his approval rating among students on campus.

In 2015, shortly after he began serving as dean, 82 percent of graduating seniors viewed Khurana favorably. His favorability sank to 62 percent among the Class of 2016 and hit an all-time low of 42 percent in 2017 — a decline that was an apparent result of Khurana’s efforts to pressure single-gender social groups to go co-ed.

After reviewing the legal reasoning in the 2020 Supreme Court ruling, the Corporation voted to rescind its approval of the sanctions after consulting with Khurana and other senior Harvard officials.

In 2018, Khurana was also one of the high-ranking Harvard administrators who testified in the three-week long admissions trial that questioned whether Harvard’s race-conscious admissions policy discriminated against Asian American applicants.

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Students for Fair Admissions first sued the University in 2014 alleging Harvard’s practices were discriminatory against Asian American students.

As the case traveled up the courts, Khurana insisted that the College’s admissions policies were not discriminatory. He also was part of a group of Harvard administrators who traveled to Washington in 2022, when the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case.

The Supreme Court ruled against Harvard in June 2023, ruling its race-conscious admissions policy unconstitutional.

Khurana saw more success with the launch of the Intellectual Vitality initiative, an effort to promote a free exchange of ideas on campus amid concerns of student self-censorship.

The initiative — which began as covert meetings with a group of undergraduates, faculty, and administrators — debuted its public-facing programming earlier this year, which included a dialogue series, undergraduate survey, and training for proctors and tutors in residential houses.

Over his lengthy tenure at the helm of the College, Khurana also oversaw several significant administrative changes. In 2018, he established the Dean of Students Office, a merger between the former Office of Student Life and the Freshman Dean’s Office.

In 2022, Khurana led the creation of the Office of Student Services — which combined the Accessible Education Office, the Housing Office, the Office of Academic Integrity and Student Conduct, and the Office of the Registrar — in an effort to improve the College’s functionality and “organizational alignment.”

He also championed efforts to promote public service in undergraduate education, appointing the inaugural faculty director of Phillips Brook House and a new assistant dean for civic engagement. More recently, Khurana launched a new Certificate for Civic Engagement in March.

Khurana’s favorability rating has risen considerably among undergraduates over the years since the decision to drop the sanctions on final club. A survey conducted in May by The Crimson of graduating students in the Class of 2024 revealed that nearly 52 percent of respondents had a favorable view of Khurana while around 17 percent expressed an unfavorable opinion of him.

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Khurana is also known by undergraduates for his frequent presence in dining halls and persistent efforts to stop students for a selfie in various corners of Harvard’s campus. Those pictures are often posted to his Instagram page, which is widely popular among students.

Hoekstra wrote in her email that Khurana’s tenure was “characterized by approachability and a genuine commitment to listening to the voices across the entire Harvard community.”

“And no one can take a better selfie, as evidenced by his engaging Instagram account, affectionately known as the Deanstagram, which captures his daily gratitude for this community of students,” she added.

In his own email, Khurana expressed optimism about Harvard’s future while also acknowledging that it will continue to face challenges in the years ahead.

“Institutions often seem as though they will endure forever, but we must not take for granted the stability and strength of this great university, and the depth of talent we have assembled,” Khurana wrote. “As one of our nation's oldest and most renowned institutions, Harvard is not immune from the forces that lead to institutional decline — complacency, risk avoidance, protecting our reputation at the expense of our values.”

“Nurturing this institution is a team effort, and we are all caretakers of a legacy, entrusted with the responsibility to protect and strengthen it for those who come after us,” he added.

—Staff writer Michelle N. Amponsah can be reached at michelle.amponsah@thecrimson.com. Follow her on Twitter @mnamponsah.

—Staff writer Joyce E. Kim can be reached at joyce.kim@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X at @joycekim324.