Archie C. Epps III, 66; Longtime Harvard Dean and Scholar of Islam

Archie C. Epps III, 66, one of the first top-ranking black administrators at Harvard as its longtime dean of students, died Thursday in Cambridge, Mass., of complications following surgery.

Born in Lake Charles, La., Epps graduated from Talladega College in Alabama and first set foot in Harvard Yard as a divinity student in 1958. He earned a bachelor of theology degree there and a certificate in educational management from Harvard’s business and education schools.

Epps joined the administrative staff in 1964 as assistant dean of Harvard College, mediating disputes between staff and students in an era of protest. He became dean of students in 1971 and held the post until his retirement in 1999. During his tenure, he oversaw publication of the university’s first handbook on race relations in 1992.

A scholar of Islam, Epps was editor of the book “The Speeches of Malcolm X at Harvard.” He taught a seminar on the civil rights and black nationalist movements and brought Malcolm X, James Baldwin and others to campus as speakers.