Earlier this week, it was announced that Jay Light, who has been the acting dean of Harvard Business School since Kim Clark’s departure last August, has been appointed to the post on a permanent basis. It sounds as though Light is eminently qualified for the position and has the support of the school’s faculty, but this move comes as a bit of a surprise, as one would not expect the University’s president to be making appointments when he is himself on the way out. The Harvard Crimson reports that Summers had this to say on the timing:
“The judgment that we reached collectively was that, since I had been extensively engaged in a search process and had a large number of conversations with members of the Business School community, that it would be best for me to complete the search.”
It’s reported that Light worked closely with Clark while the latter was at Harvard, and that he expects his tenure to be “more similar than different” in terms of direction and priorities for the program. Further information on the new HBS dean’s background and future plans can be found in the press:
Boston Globe – Fact sheet on Jay Light
Boston Globe – Harvard names dean of business school
Harvard Crimson – Acting Dean Promoted to Lead B-School
Financial Times – New HBS Dean to focus on globalisation
