Dear GSAS Students,
To all GSAS students—new and continuing, in the Cambridge/Boston area or throughout the world—welcome to the 2022–2023 academic year!
I’m looking forward to seeing all of you around campus and at the GSAS Student Center this year, especially at the newly reopened Café Gato Rojo—one of the things I’ve missed during the pandemic is stopping by for a cappuccino and meeting many of you in the process. As you settle into your own routines, remember that GSAS and Harvard have a host of resources to help you academically and personally. Be sure to take advantage of them.
GSAS will be in touch with you throughout the academic year so please keep an eye on your inbox for two monthly emails: “Need to Know” announcements on the first of the month and the GSAS Bulletin, which arrives on or near the 15th. Both provide critical information designed to help you navigate your graduate career. You will also receive important updates from me about GSAS and Harvard policies that affect your academic activities. I urge you to pay close attention to these emails.
We will also continue to send COVID News on a regular basis throughout the fall term. The most recent issue provides a snapshot of your responsibilities and University resources, and I encourage you to review it, if you haven’t already.
Building and maintaining connections with your peers is crucial to the academic experience, and I urge you to honor your interests outside academics. The GSAS Student Center is your hub for extracurricular activities, with the Center fellows developing exciting new programming and a host of graduate student groups ready to help you continue pursuing your passions. Be sure to check out what’s happening on Engage, GSAS’s student event platform, and follow the GSAS and GSAS Student Center social media accounts.
You also don’t have to wait until you graduate to connect with GSAS alumni. The Harvard alumni community is a tremendous resource, offering mentorship, career networking, and affinity groups to join. I encourage you to explore the alumni-student connections available to you.
I do hope I will get a chance to engage with you over the course of the academic year and learn about your projects. As you begin or continue your graduate studies, I wish you all the best.
With all best wishes,
Emma Dench
Dean of the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
McLean Professor of Ancient and Modern History and of the Classics
