Harvard Business School Dean to Step Down

Letter from President Lawrence H. Summers

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

As you know, Kim Clark earlier today announced his plans to conclude his service as Dean of Harvard Business School this summer, having very recently been chosen to assume the presidency of Brigham Young University - Idaho. I want to take this opportunity to salute and thank Kim for his extraordinarily effective leadership of the Business School and his outstanding service to Harvard as a whole.

For nearly a decade, Harvard Business School has thrived under Kim’s thoughtful, creative, and energetic guidance. The school has renewed its MBA curriculum and worked to enhance students’ quality of life. It has strengthened its commitment to scholarship that bridges theory and practice, and ambitiously broadened its international reach. It has emerged as a pioneer in using information technology to improve education and has invested smartly in its campus environment. It has expanded its portfolio of first-rate executive education programs and extended its leadership position in creating case materials used by business schools worldwide. It has also forged important new connections with other parts of the University. For all this, I want to express thanks not only to Kim for his leadership, collegiality, and spirit of innovation, but also to the entire community of HBS faculty, students, staff, and alumni.

Since Kim plans to depart as of July 31 in order to take up his new role shortly afterwards, I expect to name an acting dean of HBS who can serve while the dean search proceeds. As the search progresses, I will of course want to benefit from the perspectives and counsel of the faculty, and of people across the HBS community, at this important time of transition for the school. I will be in further touch, in the time ahead, about both the appointment of an acting dean and the process of seeking a new dean. Together we will assure that the tradition of excellent leadership at Harvard Business School carries forward into the future.

For now, I hope you will join me in recognizing Kim Clark’s distinguished service to the Business School and the University, thanking him for a job so skillfully done, and wishing him well as he undertakes the new challenge before him.

Sincerely,

Lawrence H. Summers