Harvard Has a Dean... ...and his name is Michael Smith. He's an associate dean for computer science and engineering, and by all accounts he's a very nice guy.

Also, his name first surfaced as a decanal candidate on this blog on March 30....

Smith is not a well-known figure on campus, and the Crimson suggest that administrative experience is a question mark.

Though the chairman of a private software company and former swim coach has a wide range of leadership experience outside of the academy, his administrative experience at Harvard is limited when compared to the three deans who preceded him.

In the Globe, the M-Bomb suggests that the choice of Smith is something of a surprise.

However, Smith, associate dean for computer science and engineering, was a surprising choice to many professors because he is not widely known outside [his] scientific areas.

But in both the Globe and the Crimson, Harry Lewis is quoted as being highly supportive of Smith, calling him "a wonderful person."

Your thoughts?  ¶ 10:40 AM