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About
Paul Norman Ylvisaker came to HGSE with a background in urban planning, having worked on national and international urban planning projects for the Ford Foundation’s Public Affairs Program. Before HGSE, he was a faculty member at the Harvard Graduate School of Design, Princeton University, Swarthmore College, and Yale University. Ylvisaker was a noted expert in the field of philanthropy.
Ylvisaker helped steer HGSE through a tide of financial difficulties in a period of philosophical transition. Throughout his years as dean, he boosted morale and fostered a strong sense of community. Given Ylvisaker’s unconventional background, his vision for HGSE encompassed “education broader than schooling.” Ylvisaker’s belief in lifelong learning for current educational practitioners helped establish the Office of Professional Programs in 1977 and the Principals’ Center in 1981, through which practitioners convene for professional training by HSGE faculty. Dean Ylvisaker also increased opportunities for the study of public policy and education.
In 1979, Ylvisaker helped establish the Institute for Education Policy Studies to further policy research at HGSE. Ylvisaker’s administration prioritized international education, which led to the Office of International Education. The Project for Human Potential helped educational policymakers support a full range of development possibilities in a given population. Despite reductions in federal and private monies, HGSE strengthened its student body and faculty with the highest concentration of women and minorities of all Harvard University faculties. In an interview with The Harvard Crimson, Ylvisaker predicted that the chances of a woman succeeding him as dean was “fairly high.”
After stepping down, Ylvisaker became a senior consultant to the Council on Foundations and continued teaching at HGSE.
Born in Boston, Melvin “Mel” Robbins graduated from Boston University in 1939 and the Massachusetts Art School in 1941. During WWII, he painted murals and portraits as a member of the U.S. Army Special Services. After the war, Robbins was president and art director of the White Card company. He retired in 1968 to become a full-time portrait artist.
Robbins painted two portraits on display in the Eliot-Lyman Room of Deans Ylvisaker and Patricia Albjerg Graham. Additionally, he received portrait commissions from other Harvard University faculties, including the Dental School, Divinity School, Law School, and Medical School. His portraits have been commissioned by other educational institutions, local and state governments, and hospitals.
Robbins worked as a highly acclaimed courtroom artist for local television news programs and newspapers. His work for WBZ-TV was awarded a regional Emmy Award in 1979.