Fellows past and present gather to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Dudley House as the graduate student center
When Dudley House was dedicated as the graduate student center at GSAS 20 years ago, the idea of building community among graduate students was still considered experimental. The move was the culmination of years of effort by the GSAS Alumni Council, deans and administrators, and students themselves, all of whom recognized a need for graduate students to come together, to decompress, to leave the lab or library (on occasion), and generally to maintain the interests and hobbies that brought them to Harvard — interests that would enrich not only their own lives, but their Harvard community.
It has been a grand success, a model for peers, and a refuge for students — especially those at the beginning of their programs, seeking to find their place at Harvard. “There really is nothing like this at most graduate schools,” says Jim Hogle, the Edward S. Harkness Professor of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and chair of the PhD program in biophysics. He has been co-master of Dudley House since 2002, with his wife, patent attorney Doreen Hogle.
GSAS celebrated the anniversary milestone by hosting a laugh-filled reunion over Alumni Weekend (April 1–2) for Dudley Fellows from each of those 20 years. About 85 fellows and guests mingled at a casual open house on April 1, an evening that featured specially crafted Dudley-themed cocktails — the Dudley Daiquiri and the Lehman Lemonade, served in embossed pint glasses. Reunioners attended Alumni Day events on Saturday and then returned to the House for a soiree that evening.
From its commanding location in Lehman Hall, on the southwest corner of Harvard Yard, Dudley is a central point of connection for the Graduate School’s 4,000 students. Under the direction of the House Masters and longtime administrator Susan Zawalich, as well as the fellows (GSAS students all) who plan activities each year, Dudley has its own orchestra, jazz band, literary magazine, dining hall, coffee house, film series, game room, and intramural sports program, among other gems. It sponsors student outings to museums, plays, and performances around Boston and to recreational sites further afield.
The Harvard community will pause to celebrate Dudley’s 20th anniversary as the graduate student center in October, when — as part of the University’s 375th anniversary festivities — the House will host a gala dinner to celebrate not only the special qualities of the building and the people who help it flourish, but also the central role that graduate students play in the life of the University.