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Graduate Policy Committee

The Graduate Policy Committee advises the Dean of Harvard Griffin GSAS on major policies and resource allocations affecting all PhD programs.

The Graduate Policy Committee (GPC) reviews graduate programs, engaging with program leaders about admissions practices, advising systems, student life, curricular offerings and requirements, temporal guideposts and time to degree, and outplacement of degree holders. Reviews are scheduled in a regular cycle over the years. Additionally, the GPC coordinates with the FAS Faculty Council and its subcommittee on graduate education on policy discussions, mandated reviews of programs, and consideration of proposed new PhD programs. Where appropriate, the GPC also coordinates with relevant bodies at other Harvard schools involved in interfaculty PhD programs. 

Membership 

Co-chaired by the Dean of the FAS and the Dean of Harvard Griffin GSAS, the GPC includes two senior faculty each from the FAS humanities, social science, and natural science programs, several senior faculty members involved with interfaculty graduate programs, an ex officio senior faculty member designated each year by the Committee on Graduate Education of the FAS Faculty Council. The Dean of Harvard College, FAS divisional deans, the registrar, and additional senior Harvard Griffin GSAS administrators are invited to attend meetings that cover issues relevant to their expertise or responsibilities. 

Graduate Policy Committee Members 

Emma Dench, Chair 
Dean, Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences and McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History and of the Classics 

Allen Aloise 
Dean for Administration and Finance, Harvard Griffin GSAS

Josiah Blackmore 
Nancy Clark Smith Professor of the Language and Literature of Portugal 

Laura Frahm  
John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities 

Gonzalo Giribet 
Professor of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology 

Jerry Green 
David A. Wells Professor of Political Economy 

Andrew Ho 
Charles William Eliot Professor of Education 

Alexandra Killewald 
Professor of Sociology 

Rebecca Lemov 
Professor of the History of Science 

Jeffrey Schnapp 
Carl A. Pescosolido Professor of Romance Languages and Literatures and of Comparative Literature 

Daniel Jacob 
Vasco McCoy Family Professor of Atmospheric Chemistry and Environmental Engineering 

John Stauffer 
Sumner R. and Marshall S. Kates Professor of English and of African and African American Studies 

Robert Stavins 
A.J. Meyer Professor of Energy & Economy Development 

S.V. Subramanian 
Professor of Population Health and Geography 

Karen Laura Thornber 
Harry Tuchman Levin Professor in Literature and Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations 

Regularly Invited Guests 

Noël Bisson 
Dean for Academic Programs, Harvard Griffin GSAS 

Ann Hall 
Chief of Staff and Interim Director of Communications, Harvard Griffin GSAS 

Patrick O’Brien 
Assistant Dean of Student Affairs, Secretary to the Harvard Griffin GSAS Administrative Board 

Lawrence Bobo 
W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Social Sciences and Dean, Social Sciences 

Erika McDonald 
Registrar of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Harvard University 

Francis Doyle 
Dean, Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences 

Jen Flynn 
Senior Director of Global Outreach, Harvard Griffin GSAS 

Claudine Gay 
Edgerley Family Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences 

Robin Kelsey 
Dean of Arts and Humanities and Shirley Carter Burden Professor of Photography 

Lisa Laskin 
Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Education 

Rosalind Segal 
Dean for Graduate Education, HMS 

Christopher Stubbs 
Dean, Sciences and Samuel C. Moncher Professor of Physics and of Astronomy 

Sheila Thomas 
Dean for Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging, Special Projects Advisor, and Interim Dean of Students 

Nina Zipser 
Dean for Faculty Affairs and Planning, FAS 

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