Prior to his appointment as dean, Lewis received accolades as a "faculty-citizen" for his participation on various College committees and his service as head tutor of the Computer Science Department.
"I'm hard-pressed to think of someone better suited to the job, due to the extra time he puts in as a mentor and as an advisor," says Associate Dean of the Division of Applied Sciences Albert Gold. "He is Harvard through and through, he has seen the community from almost every viewpoint, and that's a hard combination to duplicate."
But his record in dealing honestly in those posts has been called into question several times.
Most notably of all, as chair of the Standing Committee on Athletics, Lewis continued to insist publicly that the College was giving equal support to male and female athletes when records showed that the University was spending twice as much on men's sports as on women's.
And as co-chair of the Faculty's Information Technology Committee, Lewis oversaw a Harvard Arts and Sciences Computer Services (HASCS) department that was plagued by a lack of personnel--including a permanent director--and severe space and money short-ages.
Lewis' committee had heard complaints for months and had been presented with detailed memos on the subject, but when interviewed by The Crimson for a piece on HASCS, Lewis initially denied knowing anything about complaints or problems in HASCS.
Yet when Lewis was appointed dean just under a year ago, most members of the community were optimistic and willing to give him a fresh start.
Looking Ahead
Administrators say they believe that the College will cool down as the new dean settles into his position.
"[Lewis] thinks everything's going to get a lot easier," Skocpol says. "People will get used to him and less hot."
Lewis himself says he "can't say" whether the next semester will be easier for him.
But Pan may have the most upbeat hopes for the future.
"I hope someday him and me can have a beer and laugh about this whole thing."
Marios V. Broustas and Marian J. Hennessy-Fiske contributed to the reporting of this story.