Friedrich named assistant dean for undergrad social planning

David R. Friedrich, the manager of the Student Organizations Center at Hilles (SOCH), has been appointed assistant dean of Harvard College and director of the Student Activities Office. He will be responsible for working with undergraduate students on developing and implementing extracurricular and social planning. His appointment is effective immediately.

“Through his service as a freshman adviser, his membership on a number of College committees, and his participation on the both the College Programming Collective and the Leadership Working Group, David is familiar with the major issues concerning the College in general, and students, in particular. We are fortunate to have David’s wide experience and leadership,” says Dean of Harvard College Evelynn Hammonds, the Barbara Gutmann Rosenkrantz Professor of the History of Science and of African and African American Studies.

As Student Activities Office director, Friedrich will help students identify sources of funding, provide organizational management training, and oversee and develop resources that aid students in their extracurricular activities. He will also work with student organizations to plan their events to ensure compliance with College rules and regulations.

Friedrich was the founding manager (2006) of the SOCH, providing leadership and oversight for the development of the center, and working with students in implementing programs and activities there. Working closely with a student advisory board that he developed, Friedrich has created a number of programs and has been instrumental in developing technology that supports the work of the Student Activities Office, including the office’s new Web site, the online Student Organizations Handbook, the Events Management System, the Undergraduate Student Organization Database, and the registration process for student organizations traveling abroad. The SOCH is currently home to 90 student organizations and the site of numerous student organization meetings and conferences.

Friedrich holds a Bachelor of Music from Gordon College and an M.T.S. from Harvard Divinity School. Prior to coming to Harvard, he was director of student activities at Endicott College where he oversaw and managed high-profile campuswide events. He was responsible for the training and support for all clubs and organizations, and managed the operations of the campus pub and a staff of student employees. He has been an adjunct faculty member at Endicott and Gordon colleges, teaching freshman seminars and outdoor education courses.