With the spring semester underway, I am writing to provide more information about the working groups we announced late last year. They now have had an opportunity to identify and prioritize the issues they expect to understand and address (see below); to identify how they might engage members of our community, whether on the working groups, through focus groups and conversations, or by providing opportunities for education; and to think about timelines for their efforts that may vary within and across groups based on considerations like our calendar, complexity, and a range of other factors.
President Alan Garber’s message to the Harvard community earlier this week reflected on the disorienting tension the University recently has faced, recognized Claudine Gay’s service and leadership, and urged us to rededicate ourselves to free inquiry and expression in a climate of inclusion and a spirit of mutual respect.
Recently I wrote to you about important work we need to initiate at Harvard Business School following the horrific killings and kidnappings perpetrated by Hamas in Israel on 10/7 and, in the weeks since, mounting civilian casualties and a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. To date, thousands of innocent lives have been tragically lost. The pain, grief, and fear from these events and a rise in antisemitism, Islamophobia, and anti-Arabism have tested the fabric of our community, and we have felt their impact in our classrooms and on our campus. We find ourselves facing difficult and complex questions about what constitutes hate speech and private speech, particularly in a digital era; how we navigate free expression and our community values; how we improve religious inclusion; how we ensure that faculty, staff, and students all experience our School as a place of belonging and inclusion; and how we ensure we create an educational environment that deepens understanding and advances learning. Hate can have no place at Harvard Business School.
Two weeks have passed since the horrific attack by Hamas on Israeli citizens. As I noted in my letter on October 10th, terrorist actions against civilians are not only unconscionable, they are inconsistent with our most fundamental values; as humans, we must condemn them. The atrocities carried out were heinous and they have left the Israeli and Jewish members of our community, and all of us, reeling.
Dean Srikant Datar addresses the community about the attacks against Israel and follows up on the statement from Harvard University President Claudine Gay.
Harvard University leadership, including Dean Srikant Datar, address the Harvard community after the Supreme Court delivered its decision in Students for Fair Admissions v. President and Fellows of Harvard College.
Earlier today, President Bacow released the Report and Recommendations of the Presidential Committee on Harvard and the Legacy of Slavery. We are writing today to urge you to read the report. As members of an academic institution whose motto, Veritas, impels us to seek truth, it is incumbent upon us to acknowledge and understand the ways that Harvard’s strength today was built on human subjugation and the systems—including business—that perpetuated it. It is only with and through truth that we can learn from the tragic mistakes of the past.
The invasion of Ukraine—with the horrific news of lives lost, images of hospitals and apartment buildings hit, and stories of citizens having to choose between fleeing their homes in search of safety and arming themselves to defend their cities—is tragic and deeply unsettling.
President Bacow speaks for all of Harvard in urging us to condemn the rise in anti-Semitism in our nation. Acts of hatred and bigotry are ones we must decry; they contradict our values, undermine our mission, and harm our community.
At the 2021 Harvard Business School virtual Graduation ceremony, Dean Srikant Datar addressed graduates, and presented the 2021 Alumni Achievement Awards to: Raymond T. Dalio (MBA 1973); H. Naylor Fitzhugh (MBA 1933) posthumous award; Udemezuo O. Nwuneli (MBA 2003) and Ndidi O. Nwuneli (MBA 1999); Terry W. Virts (GMP 11); and Deborah M. Winshel (MBA 1985).
Throughout the day, details of last night’s tragic shootings in Atlanta have been coming into sharper focus. While the motivations of the gunman will take time to fully understand, the brutal reality already is painfully clear: seven women, including six Asian American women, are dead, as is one man. There has been a string of violent acts against Asian Americans in the United States—by one report, as many as 3,800 incidents in the last year alone. Women, and especially women of color, are disproportionately the victims of these types of violent acts.
On January 6th, American democracy was put to the test. The sight of a mob storming the Capitol—attacking police, threatening members of Congress and their staffs, and vandalizing property—is not one we can, or should, soon forget. Freedom of expression and peaceful protest are rights we must always respect. Violence such as unfolded on Thursday can never be condoned.
New Dean Srikant Datar talks about his background, immediate objectives, and recent accomplishments. What makes HBS so special? What makes him proud? What is he most looking forward to? Learn more about our new Dean—during his first few days on the job—in this special episode of the HBS podcast Staff Stories. Recorded in our remote studio on December 15, 2020.