Service Agreement
Mohan Boodram, associate dean for Enrollment and Student Services, talks about his new job, vigilance, and what it all means for students.
Q: What exactly do you do?
A: I oversee five departments that take care of student life beyond the classroom: admissions, financial aid, registration, student affairs, and career services.
Q: Your position is new?
A: Yes. Prior to the creation of my position in 2005, these offices reported to different administrators. My position was created, in part, to bring them together.
Q: Did you have a mission in mind?
A: I approach the work with the view that these five departments have a real teaching mission -- what I call a "hidden curriculum" -- relating to professional development. A lot of our students come here seeking to be change agents of some sort. Their experience with our offices can really empower them in that mission. They can hone skills such as program development, volunteer management, event planning, career management, and budgeting. They can also see staff modeling key competencies -- treating diverse constituencies with dignity and respect, handling sensitive and difficult conversations with compassion, and allocating resources equitably, for example.
Q: If a graduate from 10 years ago were to look at what you're doing now, what would surprise him?
A: He'd find that our student services have a very polished, professional feel to them. From orientation to commencement, we've updated our programming and publications to underscore that education is a vital profession and that HGSE is an institution with a long and proud history. There was a time when the Ed School was known for being more casual than the other Harvard schools. While we want to preserve our tradition of being welcoming and accessible, we're also working to spread the word that this is a rigorous, professional academic environment where we do important work.
Q: What are some challenges?
A: A few years ago, the school reorganized the Ed.M. program, creating 13 specialized programs of study. Until then, the majority of master's students enrolled in a general program that they would customize. Now that Ed.M. students are admitted to a particular program, the admissions process has become much more complex. The same is true of the support services needed to support this new structure. The Ed.D. program has evolved as well; there is now a single doctoral program offering six concentrations. We have to partner closely with our faculty program directors to make sure we're matriculating students who have are well matched to our curricula and ensuring that these students are well positioned to launch high-impact careers after graduation.
Q: What do students want more of?
A: Students often come here thinking that the streets of Harvard are paved with gold. Many are surprised to learn that in Harvard's decentralized environment, resources vary considerably from school to school. In terms of facilities, students are eager to have access to the types of student lounges and activity spaces found at the other professional schools. Another big thing they want is a more seamless process for cross-registering into courses at the other schools. We're working on that, looking across the university at ways to better integrate our student information systems and course schedules.
Q: Do you consider yourself the ambassador for students?
A: Yes, I suppose you could say that. A key part of my job is to make sure that student life issues are fully considered as we engage in academic planning for the coming years and beyond. For example, if we are considering modifying the academic calendar, how will that impact the ability of our students to obtain housing? How will we provide on-campus food service? Will there be an impact on when a student's educational loans go into repayment? There are plenty of bread-and-butter issues that are essential to the student experience that can be inadvertently overlooked if we're not vigilant.
About the Article
A shorter version of this article originally appeared in the Winter 2007 issue of Ed., the magazine of the Harvard Graduate School of Education.
photo by Tanit Sakakini
