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Harvard’s FUP adviser Varsha Ghosh to leave after 13 years
Ghosh was one of 11 Phillips Brooks House staffers whose positions were affected in a wave of job changes in late July.
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Staff Reporter - Wed, 19, Aug 2026
- 01:40 EDT
- 42
Varsha Ghosh / HARVARD
Varsha Ghosh, Indian-origin director of student engagement and leadership at Harvard University’s Phillips Brooks House and longtime adviser to the First-Year Urban Program (FUP), is leaving after 13 years leading the program.
Ghosh wrote in an email that her position was eliminated amid the broader restructuring of Phillips Brooks House, part of a sweeping administrative overhaul of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
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She wrote that she would “officially be retiring from the College” and would not remain with FUP this year, though she said she planned to return Monday afternoon to kick off leader training and formally say goodbye, according to the Harvard Crimson, the official daily student newspaper of Harvard University.
In the email, she attributed the restructuring to “changes in the landscape of higher education.”
The First-Year Urban Program is one of the college’s six pre-orientation programs for incoming freshmen. Based out of the Phillips Brooks House and serving more than 100 incoming freshmen each year, the program centers on civic engagement, connecting students with campus civic organizations and community partners and sending participants to public service sites across the Boston area.
Ghosh was one of 11 Phillips Brooks House staffers whose positions were affected in a wave of job changes in late July. Phillips Brooks House was the hardest-hit College unit by share of positions, with nearly half of its 23 roles either laid off or offered new positions.
Assistant Dean for Civic Engagement and Public Service Travis A. Lovett confirmed in a statement that he would serve as the primary FUP staff adviser for the upcoming year as the program transitions. Beginning in 2027, Lovett wrote, FUP will be advised by the team as a group, with one staffer responsible for training and another responsible for student engagement and recruitment.
The exact staffers who will take on the roles have not yet been settled due to ongoing department restructuring, according to Lovett.
Lauren Q. Crispi, who currently manages student development at the Phillips Brooks House and the Center for Public Service and Engaged Scholarship, will formally transition into a role working on student training in late September.
Majula Swareh, a doctoral student who has worked with the team this summer, will also continue supporting FUP logistics, Lovett confirmed.
“My colleague, Varsha Ghosh, has been great in supporting our students and she has prepared our student leaders and me well for carrying on through the broader staff transition,” Lovett wrote.
She holds a bachelor’s degree from Connecticut College, a Master of Education from the Harvard Graduate School of Education and a doctorate in higher education leadership from the University of Massachusetts-Boston. Her areas of research include civic identity development and engaged learning.
Ghosh has 20 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, with international and national experience. She has managed programs in philanthropy, human services and community development focused on youth development, leadership training, domestic violence, anti-hunger and adult education. She is an alumna of both AmeriCorps VISTA and the Peace Corps.
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