Letter from Drew Faust

Dear Members of the FAS Faculty, Students, and Staff,

I am delighted to let you know that Michael D. Smith, the Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science and Electrical Engineering and Associate Dean for Computer Science and Engineering, will become Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, effective this July.

Mike Smith is an excellent teacher, a distinguished computer scientist, and a talented leader known to his colleagues as someone who galvanizes others in pursuit of common goals. He has emerged as one of his generation's most influential experts on computer architecture, while working creatively to connect technology with a broad array of other fields. His deep concern for undergraduates is evident both within and beyond the classroom, from his challenging introductory course on computer science to his chairmanship of the faculty committee on athletics. He is also an energetic administrative leader who has helped guide the transformation of our Engineering and Applied Sciences enterprise from Division to School, and who brings an engaging curiosity and an open, collaborative style to the task of setting priorities and moving things forward.

Mike will come to his new role with a commitment to the highest standards of scholarship and a devotion to ensuring that our students, both undergraduate and graduate, receive an education fully worthy of their talents - especially in light of the important curricular and pedagogical reforms that the FAS has set in motion. He is a person of impressive leadership qualities, with an intuitive understanding of organizations and the people and systems within them. He thinks strategically and plans pragmatically. From our conversations, I know that he shares my concern for the vitality of the full range of disciplines that together animate the FAS, and for fostering creative connections both across departments and with other parts of Harvard. His intelligence, energy, fresh perspective, and ability to stimulate a sense of shared enterprise promise to serve the FAS and the University well.

Many people have generously offered me their thoughts on the FAS and the deanship, and I am grateful to all of you - particularly, to the ten members of the faculty advisory group who devoted their time and care to the process, and to the other faculty, students, staff, and alumni who met with me or wrote to me to provide advice. David Pilbeam deserves our deepest appreciation for having stepped into interim service at an important moment for the FAS. And Jeremy Knowles, who has led this Faculty with such exemplary dedication and courage, of course remains very much in all our thoughts.

I hope you will join me in congratulating Mike Smith on his crucial new role in guiding the FAS forward. He and I are committed to working as close partners in helping Harvard take the best possible advantage of the extraordinary opportunities before us. Both of us will depend on your thoughtful support and candid counsel in the months and years to come.

Sincerely,
Drew Faust