Part III of a three-part series on the search for a new Dean of the College. Part I ran on Oct. 16 and Part II ran on Oct. 17.

Two weeks before the University launched its last capital campaign in 1994, then-Dean of the College L. Fred Jewett ’57 told The Crimson that he planned to soon retire.

Nineteen years later, the public phase of another fundraising drive began last month with the Dean of the College once again in transition. This past summer, three months before the campaign launch, Evelynn M. Hammonds stepped down as College Dean, setting into motion a search for her permanent replacement in the crucial first months of the $6.5 billion campaign’s public phase.

While the 1990s campaign prioritized beefing up financial aid for undergraduates, this time the stakes of the campaign are even higher for the College. With the University planning to raise nearly three times as much money than in its last campaign, Harvard hopes to partially fund its more than $1 billion House renewal project while continuing to support undergraduate financial aid.

So far, most of the College’s capital campaign efforts have not been directly led by interim College Dean Donald H. Pfister, but by his boss—Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith. The limited campaign role of Pfister, who has said he will lead the College for no more than a year, in part reflects the Dean of the College’s unique position as the chief executive of a school that is subordinate to the FAS.

Still, administrators and student leaders say that the next permanent College Dean has the potential to maximize the College’s gains from the campaign, particularly if he or she is called upon to serve a more active role in soliciting donations.

“He or she should be able to explain to alums the significance of the College and the way we support students,” Dean of Student Life Stephen Lassonde said. “So many of us are invisible so the Dean really has to be the face of the College—their personality and articulation of our values will be foremost in the campaign.”

FAS AT THE HELM

According to FAS spokesperson Jeff Neal, Smith has thus far taken the lead on the FAS campaign, “including efforts focused particularly on the College.” Besides working with the Office of Alumni Affairs and Development and the campaign co-chairs, Neal wrote in an email, Smith has also coordinated his capital campaign efforts with some of the College administrators.

Interim College Dean of Administration Russ Porter, for instance, wrote in an email that he is “now actively engaged with the FAS Development team in ongoing planning and implementation efforts for the Harvard College campaign priorities.”

But Pfister, who works directly under Smith in the administrative hierarchy, said he has played a limited role in the campaign so far.

“When I took the job, Dean Smith said, ‘Maybe there’ll be some campaign work that I’ll ask you to do,’” said Pfister. “I’m perfectly willing to do it as long as time permits, but it’s not part of a major portfolio at this point.”

Other deans within the College administration similarly said that while they would be willing to help out with the capital campaign, particularly as it pertains to the College, they have not been asked to do so.

Although the Office of Student Life was extensively involved in the planning stages of House renewal, Lassonde said that the nature of alumni gifts, which often “come with strings attached,” limits his role in the process.

“At this point, I’m not involved but I can see myself being called to help,” Lassonde said. “The Dean of FAS is really in charge…. Dean Smith is the one who is mobilized the most and chooses where to allocate funds.”