Thursday, 4:30 PM
Computer scientist to run Harvard’s largest school
(Harvard News Office)
Michael D. Smith will oversee Harvard College and the PhD programs
By Marcella Bombardieri, Globe Staff
Incoming Harvard President Drew G. Faust has tapped a well-liked computer scientist to be dean of Harvard’s largest school, the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
Michael D. Smith, 45, will oversee Harvard College and the PhD programs. At Harvard, where he has taught since 1992, he is considered a devoted teacher and an affable colleague.
However, Smith, associate dean for computer science and engineering, was a surprising choice to many professors because he is not widely known outside of those scientific areas.
Many professors believed that Faust, a historian, would choose a scientist to help lead Harvard’s major expansion in the sciences, including a new science-focused campus soon to rise on the university’s land in Allston.
Faust said Monday that she was looking for the best person, not a person from any particular field.
"I chose Mike because he was the person who seemed to have a broad understanding of the challenges we faced," she said. "He is respected by everyone he interacts with, and he is able to get things done, and he is loved by undergraduates."
Marcella Bombardieri can be reached at bombardieri@globe.com.
