Being Canadian at Yale: A Conversation with Dean Pericles Lewis

In his nearly thirty years at Yale University, Dean Pericles Lewis has taught countless students, published innovative scholarship, and crisscrossed the globe, all while serving in key administrative positions. In so doing, he has become one of Yale's best-known Canadians. Born in Canada and the grandson of famed Canadian civil liberties litigator and parliamentarian Andrew Brewin, Dean Lewis will discuss how his family background, Canadian nationality, and continued connections to Canada have shaped his time at Yale. Professor Jay Gitlin (Director, Committee on Canadian Studies) will moderate the discussion before opening the floor to a general Q&A. Lunch will be served.

Pericles Lewis, Douglas Tracy Smith Professor of Comparative Literature and Professor of English, serves as Dean of Yale College. A dual citizen of Canada and the United States, he was educated at McGill and Stanford before coming to Yale in 1998 as an assistant professor. He has served as President of Yale-NUS College, a joint venture between Yale and the National University of Singapore, and as a Vice President and Vice Provost overseeing global strategy and academic initiatives at Yale. As Dean, he has emphasized educational opportunity, civil discourse, and curricular innovation.