Stories
Stories
In Service of Others

Mike Zak (MBA 1981)
After studying engineering at Cornell and serving four years in
the Marine Corps, Mike Zak (MBA 1981) arrived at HBS in 1979, one of
only a handful of military veterans in his class. The transition
was not easy. “I came from a world where the lives of many
people depended on decisions you made, where your word is
your bond,” says Zak.
About eight weeks into his first year at HBS, Zak began to
appreciate the extraordinary power of engaging with his classmates
and professors. “I became a passionate believer in the
case method,” he says.
Zak recognizes what veterans of the US Armed Services can
add to—and gain from—the HBS experience. To encourage
more veterans to apply to HBS, he recently funded an MBA
pilot program that waives the application fee for anyone who
has served in the US military. “Our military students bring a
unique set of experiences to class discussions,” observes Chad
Losee (MBA 2013), managing director of MBA Admissions
and Financial Aid. “Veterans are very aware of the fact that we
all benefit from this nation—its resources, its history, the things
that it hands down to us,” adds Zak. “Having more veterans in
the classroom at HBS strikes me as a very good idea.”
“Serving in the military is a tremendous leadership experience,”
Zak says. “Officers eat last. We are trained to understand
that the lives of others matter more than ours. It’s about the
mission, and it’s about service.” That sense of service has
throughout his 30-year career as a venture capitalist
at Charles River Ventures. “Building a successful career is
not about the money,” he says. “It’s about whether you left
something better off than you found it, whether you improved
the nation’s competitiveness, and whether you created jobs.”
If his gift increases the number of veterans who contribute to
and benefit from the HBS experience, Zak says that “it will be
an investment wisely made.”
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