By Ruth E. C. Prince

Special to the Gazette

Tamar March has been named the new Dean of Educational Programs and director of Radcliffe Undergraduate Programs at Radcliffe College. March, who is currently serving as vice president for academic affairs, dean of the faculty, and professor of French and comparative literature at New England College in Henniker, N.H., will assume her responsibilities at Radcliffe by mid-October.

As dean of educational programs, March will serve as the overall programmatic leader of the Radcliffe Educational Programs, which include the Radcliffe Office of Undergraduate Programs, the Office for the Arts at Harvard and Radcliffe (administered by Radcliffe), and the Radcliffe Graduate Studies Center. As director of the Office of Undergraduate Programs, she will develop the portfolio of activities and opportunities open to students. She will also collaborate with the directors of the four research and policy centers in the Radcliffe Institutes for Advanced Study.

"I am delighted to welcome Tamar March to Radcliffe College," said Radcliffe President Linda S. Wilson. "Her expertise in academic leadership, especially in the area of new program and curriculum development, will be invaluable as she leads the Radcliffe Educational Programs. We searched for someone who would strengthen our commitment and connections with both undergraduates as well as adult learners, and who could provide creative leadership as we shape our educational programs to meet the challenges of the next century. Dr. March will continue Radcliffe's tradition of warmth, encouragement, and innovation for all of our students."

March has broad experience in higher education, as a faculty member and in leadership positions in academic affairs at Clark University, Hobart and William Smith colleges, and New England Conservatory of Music. She is currently involved in the New England Research Center, an academic think tank designed to improve collaboration and build community among faculty and administrators in New England. She serves on the national advisory board of the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation and the advisory board for the journal, Liberal Education.

March earned a bachelor's degree in modern languages and literature and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York in 1960. She also received a master's degree in romance languages and literatures from Radcliffe College in 1962 and a doctoral degree in the same discipline from Harvard University in 1972. March was a Woodrow Wilson fellow at Harvard University in 1960, and a fellow with the American Council on Education in 1977-78.

"Tamar March is a superb choice in all respects," said Mary Maples Dunn, the Carl and Lily Pforzheimer director of the Schlesinger Library at Radcliffe College and the chair of the search committee. "We were especially impressed with the depth and breadth of her work in academic affairs, especially in undergraduate programming and graduate studies. I look forward to working with her."

The students who participated in the interview process were impressed not only by the scope of Dr. March's professional achievements, but also with her personal warmth. One student commented that she was "eager to engage us in conversation and unafraid to answer even our toughest questions." Another said that "she seemed consistent with the attitude I have always felt at Radcliffe: that administrators are always open to and eager to meet with students, both formally and informally." She concluded, "I just thought Tamar was very cool."

The Radcliffe Office of Undergraduate Programs, includes leadership and action programs such as the widely praised Research Partnership Program, providing memorable, experiential learning and individual and small group interaction with women scholars and leaders. In addition, the Office for the Arts at Harvard and Radcliffe, which serves undergraduate men and women, fuses creative expression with classroom learning.

The Radcliffe Graduate Studies Center integrates all postbaccalaureate instructional programs into a single organizational structure. As dean of educational programs, March will lead the certificate programs and courses of the Radcliffe Seminars, the Radcliffe Publishing Course, the Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies at Radcliffe College, and Radcliffe Career Programming.