But she, too, qualifies her praise.

"It's been a very busy semester. In taking on this job, he's been eager to learn all that he can," she says. "He's not so eager to make improvements."

'Hot Potatoes'

Clearly, none of the highly contentious issues Lewis dealt with last semester--public service, alcohol policy and randomization--are new to campus life.

"I think he started out his deanship at a time when there were a lot of hot potatoes," Skocpol says. "It may be that students hadn't already built up a relationship [with Lewis] before contentious issues arose."

In the case of randomization, Lewis is not directly responsible for implementing the decision, but he likely would have made it himself.

The 1994 "Report on the Structure of Harvard College," co-authored by Lewis and Administrative Dean of the Faculty Nancy L. Maull, strongly recommended the change.

The same is true of the controversy over altering the structure of public service at the College.

While the search for a new assistant dean of public service was initiated several months before Lewis became dean, the restructuring of public service was first recommended in the Maull-Lewis report.

"He's been following out a policy established before his tenure [but] he helped author it," Ehrlich said. "In terms of PBH, he probably had a fair amount of background."

Indeed, confusion over Lewis' actual role in unpopular policy decisions has perhaps led to unfair criticism of the dean, students admit.

"It's hard to say if those decisions were [Lewis'] or not. I think a lot of decisions came down from Dean [of the Faculty Jeremy R.] Knowles and the Development Department," Pan says. "I wouldn't say all those decisions are his."

Whether or not Lewis fomented the controversy himself, most acknowledge that the dean is in an unenviable position.

"If anyone is put in a position of facing one's constituency head-on around a volatile issue, it can be difficult and nerve-wracking, and that's what's happened here," Buell says.

Expectations