Miami Presents: From Public Ivy to Ivy League - A conversation with Harvard Dean, Katie O'Dair '88
Topics will include her path from Miami to working in higher education, her experiences with students over the years including how students engage on campus, pivoting campus life during a global pandemic, and how to build inclusive environments on campus to help students thrive.
This event was organized and is sponsored by the Boston Alumni Chapter and will be moderated by Boston Chapter Board Members. All alumni, friends, and family are welcomed to attend, but registration is required.
Katie O'Dair is the Dean of Students at Harvard College. In her role, she oversees Harvard’s residential and co-curricular experience including first-year Yard life, the House system, student engagement, leadership, and the equity, diversity, and inclusion area. Katie joined the Harvard College community in 2016. Prior to arriving at Harvard, she served as the associate vice president for Student Affairs at Boston College and as Assistant Dean in the division of student life at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Katie holds a bachelor’s degree in communication from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, a master’s degree in student personnel and counseling from Northeastern University, and a PhD in higher education from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College. Katie’s scholarly and professional interests include student engagement, student learning, assessment in student affairs, and building sustainable and inclusive structures to support students. Katie is actively involved in the Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education (NASPA) and has served in leadership positions both regionally and nationally. She also serves as an evaluator for the New England Commission on Higher Education (NECHE). In addition to her higher education experience, she serves on the Board of Trustees for a private secondary school in New England. She is a competitive master’s swimmer, avid runner and cyclist and serves on the volunteer leadership team for the Pan-Massachusetts Challenge (PMC).