Light will retire as Harvard Business School dean
Harvard Business School dean Jay O. Light will retire in June after more than four years leading one of the nation's top management programs and 40 years on the faculty.
Light, 68, joined the business school's faculty in 1969 and was named dean in 2006, after serving nearly a year as acting dean following the departure of Kim Clark. Clark left in 2005 to became president of Brigham Young University-Idaho.
During his tenure, Light oversaw a record capital campaign, raising nearly $600 million for student financial aid, technology, buildings projects, and global research centers, as well as launching new initiatives, including the opening a research center in India in 2006. and a facility in Shanghai, scheduled to open next year. He also completed the renovation and restoration of Baker Library, which houses a world-renowned collection of business books and archival material.
In a message to faculty, staff, students, and alumni, Light said: "There are significant opportunities and exciting challenges ahead for the school. I believe it is time to let a new dean guide the future path of this very special institution."
Harvard University president Drew Faust said she would soon launch a search for Light's successor. She praised Light as an " exemplary leader in a school devoted to the understanding and practice of leadership."
"In his years as dean, and throughout his decades at Harvard," Faust said, "he has done a great deal to define the distinctive character of Harvard Business School and to guide its course in everything from MBA education to innovative executive programs, from global engagement to initiatives in health care and science. "
Light is the George F. Baker Professor of Administration. He also held a number of administrative posts, including chairman of the school's finance unit; senior associate dean and director of faculty planning; and senior associate dean responsible for strategic planning and new initiatives.
The photo of Light that appears with this post was taken from the Harvard Business School's website.
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