From the Dean

At Commencement last spring, I encouraged the School’s graduates to embrace three qualities as they encounter opportunities and challenges in life: curiosity, adaptability, and resilience. As I reflect on fiscal year 2025, these are the very same qualities that have allowed Harvard Business School to sustain excellence even as we navigated a dynamic and often shifting landscape.

Curiosity is the driving force behind the School’s academic endeavors. Our faculty build their careers in search of new insights in fields ranging from AI to finance, health care, strategy, and the global economy. Curiosity compels aspiring and established leaders who share our mission to come to HBS to learn how to become leaders who will make a difference in the world. And curiosity sparks the ambition of our alumni to pursue careers that will improve their organizations, benefit their communities, and contribute to the well-being of society.

Adaptability is how we’ve turned challenges into opportunities throughout the School’s history. It’s what led us to launch the first-ever executive education program for officers returning from WWII and to create best-in-class digital learning platforms in response to COVID shutdowns. Today we are leveraging AI to extend the reach and impact of the School exponentially.

Resilience is how we have moved forward, even after setbacks, with optimism and energy. Our community has shown, again and again, its resilience, allowing us to move forward even in the face of difficulty, and enabling us to advance our strategic priorities today

You will see examples of curiosity, adaptability, and resilience sprinkled throughout the highlights of the past year, along with a deep dive into our financials and some other key metrics on the health and vitality of Harvard Business School. In everything we do, we are guided by our mission and our Community Values of respect, honesty and integrity, and accountability. Together, they give us the strength to realize our ambitions and aspirations.

Srikant Datar
Dean of the Faculty