SEAS Dean Search

Letter from Provost Hyman and Dean Smith

April 16, 2008

Dear Members of the SEAS Community,

As you know, Dean Venky Narayanamurti has announced his intention to conclude his deanship and return to the faculty by the beginning of the fall term, after ten years of distinguished and dedicated service. We are writing now with information about the process of identifying Venky's successor as Dean of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences.

We will co-chair an advisory committee to assist in framing the search and in identifying possible candidates. Faculty members from a range of perspectives and disciplines within SEAS as well as individuals from FAS departments and other Faculties with strong interests in engineering and applied sciences have agreed to serve, and we are grateful for their participation. Jeremy Bloxham, in his capacity as FAS Dean for the Sciences, is also a member. The composition of the advisory committee is as follows:

Joanna Aizenberg (SEAS/CCB)
Debra Auguste (SEAS)
Jeremy Bloxham (FAS Dean for the Sciences)
Federico Capasso (SEAS)
Elazer Edelman (HMS)
Lee Fleming (HBS)
Lene Hau (SEAS/Physics)
Efthimios Kaxiras (SEAS/Physics)
Erin O’Shea (MCB/CCB/Systems Biology)
Margo Seltzer (SEAS)
Howard Stone (SEAS)
Steve Wofsy (SEAS/EPS)
Todd Zickler (SEAS)

In addition to seeking advice from the faculty advisory committee, we look forward to receiving thoughtful, confidential counsel from interested faculty, students, staff, and alumni/ae from across the SEAS community. We encourage you to share your views on the state of SEAS and its major opportunities and challenges going forward, as well as the qualities, experience and outlook you regard as most important to seek in our next Dean.

We also welcome your nominations of individuals that you believe should receive serious consideration as possible candidates to lead SEAS, along with your comments on those nominees. For this purpose, a special, confidential email account has been established: SEASdeansearch@harvard.edu.

We will share your comments with the advisory committee only if you indicate that it is appropriate to do so. Otherwise, we will hold your views in strict confidence. You can also contact any member of the advisory committee directly. Please do take the time to write if you have thoughts to share, since your collective observations will no doubt provide a very clear and helpful picture of the School.

If you have questions about any aspects of the search, please feel free to be in touch with Laura Fisher in the FAS Dean’s Office or Kathleen Buckley in the Provost’s Office who will be assisting us in this effort. They can be reached at laura_fisher@harvard.edu (617-496-1162) or kathleen_buckley@harvard.edu (617- 496-5531).

A search like this clearly marks an important passage in the life of SEAS. We look forward to hearing from you and thank you for your thoughtful consideration of this important process. We are grateful for what all of you do, in different ways, to advance engineering and applied sciences both within the University and beyond.

Sincerely yours,

Steven Hyman
Provost

Michael D. Smith
Dean of the Faculty
of Arts and Sciences