Dean Jay Light Takes Charge at HBS
Light: Providing steady leadership as HBS moves forward on a variety of established and innovative fronts
Photo by Stuart Cahill
In August, Professor Jay Light stepped into the Dean’s office in Morgan Hall, rolled up his sleeves, and brought his decades of HBS experience to bear on the School’s wide array of initiatives and programs. Appointed by Harvard President Lawrence Summers as the interim Dean, Light has served the School in a variety of senior leadership roles during his 35 years on the faculty.
Asked what’s impressed him most about his latest assignment, Light replied, “I’ve been struck once again by the strength and shared mission of the HBS community. Within a few minutes of the announcement of my appointment, alumni, faculty, students, and staff were e-mailing and calling to offer their support and assistance. That’s a remarkable testament to my predecessors and to the importance of the work we do.”
While the search continues for a successor to Dean Kim Clark, Light says the School will move forward on a number of initiatives. For example, in the MBA Program, with which he has long been involved as a professor and administrator, Light is guiding an innovation called “learning teams.” These teams are supplementing the traditional study groups which, the School felt, too often consisted of like-minded students with similar life and professional experiences.
“We’re taking advantage of our fantastic student body to enrich the learning experience for all,” Light explained.
In Executive Education, a project is under way to examine the portfolio of offerings to foster what Light calls “a reconception” of thinking about business education for managers at different points in their careers. One new offering still in the pilot phase, the Program for Emerging Leaders, is targeted toward people in their 30s. It alternates on-campus modules with return-to-work periods that incorporate distance learning and team exercise components.
Plans also are under way for a March research symposium in India coinciding with the official opening of the Global Initiative’s newest research center in Mumbai.
Light is also busy with faculty issues, including recruitment and development. He is particularly interested, he said, “in ensuring that the next generation of faculty is versed in the School’s rich heritage and is well-prepared to carry the institution forward in this new century.”
With regard to that future, Light is also working with Harvard President Summers on the University’s expansion into Allston. “As part of this process,” Light said, “we will become more integrated with the rest of Harvard, and that’s a great opportunity. With the Allston project, HBS will be the global business school in terms of the development and commercialization of the life sciences.”
As for an HBS fundraising milestone recently achieved, Light observed, “The campaign really has served to energize and engage alumni around the world. [See story, page 8.] We want to build on that momentum and the sense of active partnership with the School that makes HBS unique among educational institutions.” Light said the School’s 100th anniversary in 2008 would be “an opportunity to do just that, as well as take stock of what we want HBS to be in its second century.”
