In the past few months, HBS has mobilized, adapted, innovated, and collaborated to support MBA students during a very turbulent time.

As the economic consequences of the pandemic took hold, students found themselves facing a very different job market. “Students who already had job offers saw their start dates delayed, and those interested in hard-hit industries like hospitality and entertainment had to broaden their searches,” explains Kristen Fitzpatrick (MBA 2003), managing director of Career and Professional Development (CPD). “Meanwhile, many summer internships were canceled.”

Acting quickly, the School doubled funding for its summer fellowship program and opened it up to graduating as well as first-year students. These fellowships provide stipends to supplement lower-paying internships (for example, at nonprofits and startups). In addition, the School is offering free seats in a number of Harvard Business School Online courses, such as Global Business and Leading with Finance, as well as in a data science bootcamp designed to teach students how to leverage big data throughout their careers. The CPD team is also meeting students’ increased demand for one-on-one coaching and for training on how to network and interview virtually.

When all classes were moved online in less than two weeks, HBS sought to ensure a dynamic, interactive experience. Some 150 staff members from across campus volunteered to serve as Online Learning Facilitators (OLFs), supporting the technical aspects of each class so that professors could focus on their students and the case discussions. To help faculty with the unique challenges and opportunities of teaching online, the Christensen Center for Teaching and Learning compiled best practices from HBS Online and the Harvard Business Analytics Program and provided one-on-one virtual coaching.

HBS is supporting incoming MBA students, too, by offering the option to defer admission. “Like others around the world, many of our incoming students’ lives have been upended by the global pandemic. We wanted to provide flexibility to those whose employment, health, visa, or financial situation may have changed significantly since they applied,” says Chad Losee (MBA 2013), managing director of MBA Admissions and Financial Aid. While Losee hopes most students will join this fall, the School can enroll a smaller class size if necessary, thanks to resources like the HBS Fund. The School is also preparing to meet MBA students’ changing needs for financial aid next year.

Alumni have also rallied to provide support. They responded to the School’s outreach with nearly 1,000 job and internship postings and connected with students both formally and informally. For example, Sal Khan (MBA 2003) “zoomed” into a class that was discussing a case on the organization he founded, Khan Academy. And more than 300 members of the MBA Classes of 2009 and 2010 shared their insights from navigating the Great Recession with this year’s graduating students. On the lighter side, students were excited that alumni around the world could enjoy the 47th annual HBS Show, which was produced virtually and aired on YouTube.

Throughout the crisis, the HBS Fund has been essential—enabling the School to deploy resources quickly wherever they are needed most. That flexibility has always been a hallmark of the HBS Fund, and it’s what makes gifts to the HBS Fund more important than ever. In addition to enabling the School to support students, the HBS Fund is fueling the faculty’s efforts to deepen or pivot their research in light of the pandemic and financial crisis and to share their findings and expertise in new ways with leaders around the world.

“In a sense, we are living the ultimate case,” observes Dean Nitin Nohria, who deferred his plans to step down as dean until December in order to lead the School through this crisis “Every day, we must make key decisions amidst significant uncertainty and with incomplete information. While we don’t have a crystal ball, alumni support of the HBS Fund is giving us the foundation to adapt and lead, no matter what the future holds.”

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