Harvard appoints first-foreign born dean

A scholar of leadership and organizational change, Nohria has previously been the School's senior associate dean for faculty development and chair of its organizational behavior unit. He succeeds Jay Light, who in December announced his plans to retire at the end of the 2009/10 academic year after five years as dean.

Harvard is known for selecting deans from within the faculty, however, this choice bears some surprises: At the age of 48, Nohria is the youngest dean in the 102-year-long history of Havard. Furthermore, the naturalized U.S. citizen, born in Mumbai, is also the first foreign-born and the first non-white dean of the venerable school.

"He's an outstanding scholar, teacher, and mentor, with a global outlook and an instinct for collaboration across traditional boundaries. He has an intimate knowledge of the School and a strong appetite for innovation.“ Said HBS President Faust. „And he's a person who not only studies leadership but embodies the qualities of a leader in how he engages people and ideas, in how he thinks about organizational change, and in how he sees the consequential challenges ahead."

And the challenges business schools are facing these days are complex: New players are entering the already dense market, expectations of students and corporations regarding business education are rising, while the current economic climate and globalization require noticeable changes.

In this climate Asia has become an important region with India taking the lead. Not only, because Indian students eagerly fill the seats in many MBA programs, the US and European ivory league is hastily drawing up co-operations with Indian business schools and state-of-the-art campuses are springing up like mushrooms all over the country. Nitin Nohria’s appointment as dean is certainly not based on his ethnic background, but on his strong academic performance and clear dedication to Harvard Business School. However, a dean with first-hand knowledge and ties to the fastest-growing market is certainly more than just a sign. HBS can only benefit from his cultural background and understanding of the new markets.

Nohria said. "I feel a profound sense of responsibility for continuing Harvard Business School's proud legacy of groundbreaking ideas and transformational educational experiences. With business education at an inflection point, we must strive to equip future leaders with the competence and character to address emerging global business and social challenges.“

Known for his modern approach, Nohria was amongst the first to support the oath of conduct. It will be interesting to see how much change the new dean can bring about and which direction his leadership will eventually take. At the moment the MBA compass is clearly pointing East.

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