Harold Richman, a distinguished scholar at the University of Chicago and a national leader in social policy, died Thursday, July 30. He was 72.
Richman was the Hermon Dunlap Smith Professor Emeritus and former Dean (1969-78) at the School of Social Service Administration at the University of Chicago. He also served as the founding director of the policy research center Chapin Hall and taught in the College.
As a young academic, he was appointed Dean of the School of Social Service Administration in 1969, and was the youngest professor with a named faculty chair.
During his tenure as Dean, Richman secured a Consolidated Grant from the U.S. Department of Health Education and Welfare. The grant was part of a HEW experiment to streamline government by moving away from categorical funding for specific services to a consolidation of all services within one grant. This grant was renewed annually, permitting him to expand SSA's curriculum and offer more student aid, fostering diversity.
In 1968, Richman opened SSA's Center for the Study of Welfare Policy in Washington, D.C. with colleague Tom Joe. Margaret Rosenheim, Richman's SSA colleague and his successor as SSA Dean, supported the Washington center. Though no longer affiliated with the University, the Center (now known as the Center for the Study of Social Policy) continues to provide critical analysis of policy issues and hands-on technical assistance for health care, education, poverty, the elderly, and equitable opportunities for all children and families.
Under his leadership, a Committee on Public Policy Studies was created at the University of Chicago, which, in 1974, began granting graduate degrees. The Committee was transformed in 1989 to become the Harris School of Public Policy Studies, one of six professional graduate schools at the University.
In 1985, Richman led the board of Chapin Hallfor Children-a residential home with a 120-year history of direct service to children-to redefine the purpose of its endowment. The Chapin Hall children's residence became Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago with a new research mission that would serve children and youth and inform child policy and practice.
By partnering with an array of local, state, and federal agencies as well as foundations and nonprofit groups, the newly conceived Chapin Hall pioneered strategies for collecting, linking, and analyzing agency data, and developed analytic tools and systems for monitoring child and youth outcomes.
Chapin Hall's work soon expanded beyond this focus to shape the thinking and build knowledge about other critical systems and influences on children, such as their communities, their out-of-school-time activities, and other contributors to their development. Chapin Hall's work included engaging policy-makers and practitioners to improve society's responses to the needs of vulnerable children and families. Professor Richman also led work at Chapin Hall to document and evaluate community-building initiatives and the role philanthropy plays in those efforts.
Chapin Hall rapidly moved beyond its initial local focus on Chicago and Illinois to develop a national and international presence. During Richman's tenure as director, Chapin Hall grew from five researchers to a staff of more than 100.
In 2001, he retired as director but continued to do research and advise on research and programs in the United States, South Africa, Ireland, and the Middle East. In 2008, Chapin Hall established the Harold A. Richman Postdoctoral Research Fellowship, as a tribute to his gift for inspiring and guiding scholarship that betters the lives of vulnerable children and families.
"Harold had an early and innovative grasp of the kind of research that was needed to create sound children's policy," said Matthew Stagner, Executive Director of Chapin Hall. "He understood how to work with government and foundations, how to break down barriers among categorical services, and how to see the needs of children and families in a broader, more holistic context.
"Though he often focused on children in need, he also was passionate about how policy should support all families and children. Those of us who worked closely with Harold over the nearly 25 years of Chapin Hall's history know how his spirit and intelligence inspired the work and values of the institution. He was an exceptional colleague and friend and will be deeply missed."
Jeanne Marsh, the Dean and George Herbert Jones Distinguished Service Professor at the School of Social Service Administration, said, "Harold Richman contributed importantly to the University and the field through the development of Chapin Hall. He was a researcher, teacher, mentor and supporter of leaders in children's policy research."
Richman received an A.B. in American history and literature from Harvard University in 1959, and a Ph.D. in social welfare policy from the University of Chicago in 1969.
He was a White House Fellow, a Special Assistant to the Secretary of Labor W. Willard Wirtz from 1965 to 1967, and a member of President Jimmy Carter's Commission on Mental Health from 1977 to 1978. He became an Assistant Professor at SSA in 1967 and was named Dean and the Hermon Dunlap Smith Professor of Social Welfare Policy in 1969. Richman and his wife also served as resident masters in Burton-Judson Courts for many years.
He was the author and co-author of numerous book and journal articles as well as reports on child welfare, community initiatives for children, and other social policy issues.
He served on a multitude of local and national boards, looking at issues of child welfare. He chaired the board for the Center for the Study of Social Policy and served as co-chair of the Roundtable on Comprehensive Community Initiatives for Children and Families at the National Academy of Sciences from 1992 to 1994. He also was chairman of the Governor's Special Task Force on Youth Policy in Illinois from 1980 to 1981.
"Harold Richman was one of the most influential people in the world of children's and family policy over the past 40 years, and his impact was felt nationally and internationally. Yet he always found time for the personal touch upon which so many of his colleagues relied. He mentored literally hundreds of people in his field, and taught many more, giving us the gifts of his time and caring and wisdom. The world is a much poorer place today without him," said Frank Farrow, Director of the D.C.-based Center for the Study of Social Policy.
A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 4 at KAM Isaiah Israel 1100 E. Hyde Park Blvd.
Richman's family has established the Harold A. Richman memorial fund at Chapin Hall, http://www.chapinhall.org/about/giving-chapin-hall.
Professor Richman is survived by his wife Marlene, his sons Andrew and Robert, his two daughters-in-law and grandchildren.
—Prof. Kunle Odunsi
