Danielle Haase-Dubosc, 1939 – 2017
Danielle joined Reid Hall in 1972 after earning her PhD in Comparative Literature from Columbia University. She retired from her administrative role in 2010, nearly thirty years later. Her tenure as director spanned two pivotal transitions for 4 rue de Chevreuse: first, in 1964, when Helen Rogers Reid donated the facility to Columbia University, and then in 2010, when Columbia established a Global Center at Reid Hall. Although Danielle’s early years were marked by administrative challenges, budget constraints, and the looming threat of a property sale, by the time she retired, the budget was stable, numerous academic programs were firmly established at the Center, and her legacy provided a strong foundation for its future.
When Helen Rogers Reid donated Reid Hall to Columbia University in 1964, it continued to serve as a residence for students from U.S.-based colleges and universities studying French language and civilization in France. Over time, under the leadership of professors Bert M-P Leefmans, Bob Paxton, Nathan Gross, and Provost Theodore de Bary, Reid Hall gradually phased out its residential and dining facilities, transforming into a hub for French and American educational institutions. Danielle became Resident Director in 1975, playing a key role in establishing Sciences Po’s Centre de Recherche Internationale, which remained on-site until 2000. With support from an endowment bequeathed by Edith Sterling Currier, she also launched a series of French-American conferences and artistic programs, fostering cultural exchange and interdisciplinary collaboration.
Starting in 1972, Danielle led and taught in Columbia’s undergraduate study-abroad program, which gradually expanded to encompass a wide range of subjects, including French language and literature, art history, music, architecture, history, and the social sciences. As a pioneer in study-abroad education, she established international exchange agreements with French universities, allowing Columbia students to participate in French university classes. The first partnership, with Paris VII in the early 1970s, was soon followed by agreements with Paris I, Paris IV, and Sciences Po. Under her leadership, the program grew from 31 students in 1972–1973 to 143 in 1984–1985, when Brunhilde Biebuyck joined as Assistant Director of Studies.
Danielle reflected on those early years in her 2014 address commemorating Reid Hall’s fiftieth anniversary as a Columbia University educational center:
When I think of my years at Reid Hall, what comes to mind are the first students that Columbia sent to us and who wiped the floor with me. We had a lot of fun and they often surprised me with their good humor and their determination to learn everything, to know everything. The first team of teachers, Jacques Lecarme, Bruno Vercier, Simone Lecointre, and all the others that I cannot name here, were wonderful. I used to hold up a little red book, not Mao's manual, but the metro map of Paris. With this one you couldn't get lost! At Columbia, I benefited from the advice and support of professors and administrators alike: Bert M-P Leefmans, and Theodore de Bary were the first to help me, then Robert Paxton and Jonathan Cole took over. I must also mention the benevolence and expertise of Dean Frank Wolf. Without them, nothing would have been possible. In Paris, I gradually built up a strong team that brought new ideas and opened new paths. Inter-university agreements expanded the range of courses for American students and gave some French students the opportunity to spend a semester or a year at Columbia. We were pioneers in the world of student exchange (translated from the French).
Enrollments continued to rise over the following decades, with an average of 200 students at Reid Hall each year, including participants in a popular summer program that began in 1983. In addition to expanding Columbia’s program, Danielle invited other institutions to join Reid Hall as members. These included Smith College, Hamilton College, Southern Methodist University, Hollins College, the University of Delaware, Sarah Lawrence College, the University of Florida at Gainesville, and a joint Vassar-Wesleyan program, each developing its own curriculum while sharing the property in a spirit of collegiality. By 2010, more than 800 American undergraduates were studying at Reid Hall each academic year. In recognition of her substantial contributions to undergraduate education at Columbia University, she was appointed Associate Provost in 1987.
Danielle’s commitment extended beyond undergraduate education; she was dedicated to realizing the vision the Reid family set forth when they entrusted the property to Columbia: to develop diverse undergraduate, graduate, and research programs. She believed that study abroad should go beyond a single “junior year” experience, allowing students to return as Master’s students, PhD candidates, or even junior and senior scholars, each benefiting from Reid Hall’s extensive networks and resources.
In 1987, with support from a grant from the Florence Gould Foundation, Danielle established a Graduate Research Institute for PhD students conducting dissertation research in France. This successful program attracted about thirty researchers annually, offering seminars in French language, research methods, and theoretical skills, along with access to France’s documentation centers, archives, and academic institutions. Unfortunately, the Institute closed in 1995 due to insufficient funding. In 1993, Danielle also launched the Master’s in French Cultural Studies, the first standalone MA program of its kind offered by an American university abroad. This program later evolved into the Master’s in History and Literature, co-directed by Columbia’s Departments of History and French, and it now attracts around 15 students per year.
In 2000, in partnership with then-Provost Jonathan Cole, Danielle established the Columbia Institute for Scholars, welcoming fellows from Columbia University and other higher education institutions in the U.S. and worldwide. Fellows were provided with offices, conference spaces, and meeting rooms, enabling them to engage in both individual and collaborative research at Reid Hall. Although the Institute closed in 2010, it was reimagined in 2018 as the Columbia Institute for Ideas and Imagination.
Despite her many administrative duties, Danielle remained active in her scholarly pursuits, publishing books and articles, and attending conferences worldwide. She co-founded the Société Internationale pour l'Étude des Femmes de l'Ancien Régime (SIEFAR) and was a dedicated advocate for feminist causes, particularly political parity.
Throughout her career, Danielle worked to strengthen Reid Hall’s role in cultural and academic exchange, rooted in a commitment to French-American reciprocity. She emphasized avoiding the "imposition" of an American or other national model, aiming instead to cultivate an authentic intellectual community. The programs she established at Reid Hall attracted students and scholars with exceptional academic and personal backgrounds. Renowned French professors and junior scholars alike taught in these programs, fostering innovative dialogue and research. Under Danielle's leadership, Reid Hall evolved beyond its physical space to become a place where students, faculty, and researchers could define their life goals or refine their career paths.
Even before the launch of Columbia’s network of Global Centers in 2009, Danielle had envisioned the future of higher education and global engagement, positioning Reid Hall as Columbia’s gateway to Europe. She laid essential groundwork for many of Reid Hall’s current directions.
Danielle Haase-Dubosc passed away suddenly on November 12, 2017. The memorial service honoring her 38-years as Director of Reid Hall drew a large number of colleagues and friends. See the allocutions by Mihaela Bacou, Antoine Compagnon, Catherine Healey, Elisabeth Ladenson, and Susannah Mowris.
