Harry Lewis

Harry Lewis is Gordon McKay Professor of Computer Science in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Harvard University. He served as Dean of Harvard College from 1995-2003. He holds A.B., A.M., and Ph.D. degrees from Harvard, all in Applied Mathematics.

Professor Lewis is the author of numerous books and articles on theoretical computer science, on the explosion of digital information, and on the history and future of higher education. His recent books include Excellence Without a Soul: Does Liberal Education Have a Future? (2006); Blown to Bits: Your Life, Liberty, and Happiness After the Digital Explosion (2008, co-authored with Hal Abelson and Ken Ledeen); and What Is College For? The Public Purpose of Higher Education (2011, co-authored with Ellen Condliffe Lagemann).

Professor Lewis has helped launch thousands of Harvard undergraduates into careers in computer science. His former students include dozens of today’s computer science professors and many successful entrepreneurs, including both Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.