Thomas A. Lewis, dean of Brown University’s Graduate School, has been named the next dean of Cornell’s Graduate School and vice provost for graduate education, Provost Kavita Bala announced June 3.

The Cornell Board of Trustees Executive Committee voted on June 2 to approve the five-year appointment, effective Aug. 1.

Lewis succeeds Kathryn Boor ’80, the current dean and vice provost. A professor of religious studies at Brown, Lewis will also hold a faculty appointment as a professor of religious studies and German studies in the College of Arts and Sciences.

“Cornell’s deep institutional commitment and founding principle of ‘… any person … any study’ speaks powerfully to me and is vital to advancing academic excellence,” Lewis said. “I’m excited about being part of continuing that tradition.”

As leader of the Graduate School, which enrolls more than 5,000 students across 80 fields, Lewis will work closely with Cornell’s colleges, schools and units to enable graduate and professional students to succeed in their scholarly studies and research, and to prepare them for professional careers. In his role as vice provost, he will collaborate with Cornell leadership to strategically steer graduate education across the institution, and to ensure it is well-integrated with goals for undergraduates, faculty members and postdoctoral researchers.

“Thomas comes to us with an outstanding track record as an innovator in graduate education,” Bala said. “His dedication to ensuring excellence and supporting graduate students in all the disciplines represented at Cornell will be a great asset for the Graduate School.”

Lewis said he is committed to advancing many of the priorities that Boor instilled during her tenure, including supporting faculty in their roles as mentors and advisers; further developing career and advising in the Graduate School and providing guidance for graduate students who may be considering careers outside of academia; and maintaining and promoting transparency about funding policies for graduate students. 

In addition, Lewis plans to work closely with departments across the university.

“In many ways, the heart of what we do sits within the individual fields, so we want to make sure we are working closely with faculty and students as we think about ways to continually evolve the structure and shape of graduate education,” he said.

He will also identify ways to navigate the shifting landscape of funding for doctoral students, while also supporting productive changes and innovations in curricula that account for ways in which disciplines have been reshaped over time.

“This is a pivotal moment for graduate education,” Lewis said. “Though there are pressures from multiple directions, there are also tremendous opportunities.”

Additionally, Lewis said he aims to leverage Cornell’s footprints in New York City to offer new opportunities for internships in industry, museums and government spaces, which could support a wide range of career directions for graduate students.

Lewis’ scholarly work lies at the intersection of philosophy of religion and ethics, with a focus on the German philosophical tradition, particularly the work of 19th-century philosopher Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel. Lewis is broadly interested in relationships between religion and politics, religion and science, and how a range of social, political and intellectual developments in the early 19th century helped shape the modern world.

Lewis earned a bachelor’s degree from Brown University (1990) and a doctorate from Stanford University (1999), both in religious studies. He has held faculty positions at the University of Iowa (1999-2003); Harvard University (2003-2007); and Brown (2007-present).