FAS Dean Takes a Professorial Role at Faculty Meeting, Armed With Slideshow

Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Michael D. Smith, a computer scientist with years of teaching under his belt, assumed a professorial role at yesterday’s Faculty meeting and used a popular lecture tool—a PowerPoint presentation.

Smith flashed a lengthy series of slides replete with charts, graphs, and figures up on the screen to inform Faculty members on the state of FAS finances and the suggestions generated by the six working groups created last May.

“If he has a projector, watch out,” said Reverend Peter J. Gomes, a mainstay at Faculty meetings, in anticipation of Smith’s presentation at yesterday’s meeting.

With the help of his large-screen presentation, Smith discussed the improved financial state of FAS, which is now $80 million in the red. But Smith shied away from details and gravitated towards general statements regarding plans to implement the budgetary recommendations devised by the working groups and his continued dedication to academic planning and Harvard’s “core mission.”

“I’m not going to actually focus on the estimated budget savings,” Smith said. “We will continue to look at them. But we do believe that each of the things I’m going to talk about will bring some amount of savings.”

His slides quoted passages from many of the working groups recommendations and cited broad ideas expressed by the groups—including continuing to offer a superior education to graduates and undergraduates, and maintaining the freedom of the faculty to research as they wish.

Smith said he would split the viable working group recommendations into three groups. In one category, he placed those options that he deemed most feasible and for which he would launch “targeted implementation groups.” The second group was a conglomeration of ideas that “would be discussed further.” The final group of ideas would be tabled indefinitely and “reserve[d] for future consideration,” Smith said.

Following the meeting, Smith sought to clarify that he does not see forming committees as an answer unto itself.

“I have a very strong opinion that you should only have a committee that’s going to do something good for you,” Smith said in an interview yesterday after the meeting.

Though last year’s financial crisis was an aberration from FAS’ normal financial circumstances, Gomes said that Smith’s lecture was not revolutionary.

“I’ve heard Dean Smith’s speech from every dean since 1970,” Gomes said. “It’s sort of a ritual.”

—Staff writer Noah S. Rayman can be reached at nrayman@fas.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Elyssa A.L. Spitzer can be reached at spitzer@fas.harvard.edu