Welcome to Yale Afternoons with Alison! In this series, Alison Cole ’99, executive director of the YAA, meets with university leaders to learn more about their priorities and how the alumni community can support them. All conversations occur at Rose Alumni House, the home of the alumni association and a hub for activity on campus. Bring your favorite beverage and enjoy the conversation.
In the fifth episode, Alison chats with Dean of Yale College, Pericles Lewis. (Note: Dean Lewis mentions the shared interest group, 1stGenYale in his conversation. To learn more about this group, please click here.)
Pericles Lewis, Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of Comparative Literature and Professor of English at Yale University, serves as Dean of Yale College. In partnership with other university leaders and faculty members, he is responsible for guiding the curriculum, intellectual life, residential experience, and student affairs of the Yale College community. His goal is to ensure that Yale offers the world’s best undergraduate education.
Lewis earned his B.A. with first-class honors in English literature from McGill University in 1990 and his Ph.D. in comparative literature from Stanford University in 1997. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California, Berkeley, he joined the Yale faculty in 1998 as assistant professor in the Comparative Literature and English departments, rising to the rank of full professor in 2007.
As Dean of Yale College, he has emphasized the importance of thoughtful conversation and the free exchange of ideas in the context of a supportive community. He has strengthened the residential college system and support for first-generation and low-income students and has updated Yale’s policies on mental health to support student flourishing. Dean Lewis has championed diversity and encouraged curricular innovation in one of the nation’s oldest and most respected undergraduate programs.
Produced in partnership with Maya Weldon-Lagrimas ’24, Bronwen Pailthorpe ’25, the Yale Center for Collaborative Arts and Media, and The Yale Collection.
Watch Alison's previous conversations with Jeremiah Quinlan ’03, Kymberly Pinder ’95 PhD, Lynn Cooley and Maytal Saltiel.
