Lewis, on the other hand, is out.
He said that he has some thinking to do about his future, but he will continue teaching next fall—now with the title of Harvard College Professor.
Lewis would not comment directly on the reasons behind his departure.
Lewis, who was appointed to the College’s top position in 1995 by then-Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles, represented the old guard in a very new administration.
University President Lawrence H. Summers has taken an active interest in the College since he arrived as president a year-and-a-half ago. He appointed Kirby, and has pushed forward a broad-based review of the curriculum.
And according to some colleagues, Lewis and Summers have sparred at times—“partly style and partly substance,” one said.
In an interview, Summers said it was Kirby’s decision to create a single position in charge of both academics and student life.
Summers praised Lewis’ service to the College.
“Dean Lewis has done a great deal for the College during his deanship,” he said.
While professors and College administrators hesitated to criticize the move, many said they were dismayed to see Lewis go.
“I just think that this is very sad news for the College and for the interests of students,” Dean of Freshmen Elizabeth Studley Nathans said. “Dean Lewis has made immense contributions and important contributions and it’s always very sad when someone who has done as much as he has leaves a position.”
Lewis entered his deanship on the heels of co-authoring the controversial “Report on the Structure of Harvard College.”
Among other prescriptions, the report advocated randomization of the Houses, a move which Lewis pushed through in his first stormy years in office.
During his tenure, Lewis oversaw significant reorganization within his office and emphasized the need to improve undergraduate advising.
In recent years he has grappled with tight budgets and a space crunch that hit extracurricular activities on campus hard.
Kirby said that he hopes to complete the reorganization by the end of the semester.