President Rudenstine Appoints Singer and Willett to Acting Deanship of the Harvard Graduate School of Education

President Neil L. Rudenstine announced today that he has asked longtime research and teaching team Judith D. Singer and John B. Willett who currently serve together as the academic dean of the Harvard Graduate School of Education, to share the role of acting dean of the School. Jerome T. Murphy announced last May that he will step down on June 30, 2001, after nine years as dean of the School. Incoming President Lawrence H. Summers will conduct a search for a permanent dean during the next academic year.

Both statisticians, Singer and Willett have been research collaborators since they arrived at the School of Education in 1985, jointly writing two books and numerous academic articles and sharing research and conference presentations. In 1999, the pair expanded their collaboration to the administrative domain, when they accepted a joint appointment as co-academic deans of HGSE. Beginning on July 1, 2001, they will share the position of acting dean of HGSE, while continuing as co-academic deans, providing overall leadership for the School.

"Judy Singer and John Willett have provided excellent academic leadership to the School of Education over the past two years, while pioneering a unique administrative partnership," President Rudenstine stated. "Their agreement to serve together in the acting deanship will permit the School to maintain forward progress on a series of important initiatives undertaken during Dean Murphy's tenure. I am grateful for their willingness to extend their creative approach and dedication to this new role."

"We are pleased to be able to serve the School of Education in this way, and we look forward to working with our colleagues across the University in what promises to be an exciting first year of President Summers' tenure," said Willett and Singer. "This is an important moment for the School of Education, and we will work hard to assist President Summers in finding permanent leadership for the School."

Willett and Singer have co-written two books, By Design: Planning Better Research in Higher Education (with R. Light, 1990) and Who Will Teach? Policies That Matter (with R. Murnane, 1991), as well as dozens of articles on statistical methodology, research design, and education policy. Their research has garnered a host of honors, including the prestigious American Educational Research Association?s Raymond B. Cattell Early Career Award for Programmatic Research in 1992 and its 1993 Review of Research Award.

With support from the Spencer Foundation, Singer and Willett are finishing a book on the analysis of longitudinal data, Twice Is Not Enough. Also in the future is a companion book (with the working title The Best Laid Plans) describing recent advances in the design of longitudinal research.

For More Information

Contact John Lenger at 617-495-1585