Dean Srikant Datar addresses the MBA and Doctoral Classes of 2022 during the School's 112th Commencement.

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.