A message from Dean Jeremy M. Weinstein

Dear Harvard Kennedy School Community,

I am thrilled to welcome you back to campus for the fall semester. I look forward to connecting or reconnecting to hear about your experiences this summer, what’s on your mind, and how we can make the most of our time together this year.  

This academic year will mark our 90th since Lucius Littauer—a glovemaker, a Member of Congress, and Harvard’s first football coach—donated the funds that would create what later became Harvard Kennedy School. As we approach the centennial of our founding, I am gratified to have worked with so many HKS faculty, staff, students, alumni, and other stakeholders to develop our vision for the school’s next decade.

Released just after Commencement, HKS 2036: Leadership for a New Era offers a vision for how we can meet this moment by addressing the biggest challenges we face today: diminished trust in government, unprecedented polarization, and the accelerating pace of technological change.

In HKS 2036, we recommit to investing in our strong foundation of research, teaching, and people, and we outline four imperatives for the future: creating a path to public service for all; helping governments deliver for the people they serve; harnessing technology for the public good; and forging principled, effective leaders for polarized times. The plan outlines ambitious institutional goals and new initiatives and builds on many exciting steps we are already taking, from the launch of Harvard Impact Labs to the American Service Fellowship to our new MPP technology concentration.

This summer, I’ve enjoyed sharing HKS 2036 with alumni and friends around the country and the world, including in San Francisco, Berlin, New York, Colorado, and Washington. I hope you’ll take a look at the strategy and let me know what we got right and what we might be missing. I also look forward to learning how you might want to engage with or contribute to our efforts to meet this ambitious vision.

For students on campus this semester, consider attending the open houses of each of our research centers as they focus on putting evidence-based insights into practice. Research centers are a distinctive feature of HKS, connecting the community to policymakers on the front lines to enrich our research and deepen the educational experience.

Mark your calendar for engaging events in the JFK Jr. Forum and frank conversations in the Debate, Debrief, and Dessert series this fall: one on diversity in higher education and the other on America’s role in the world.  

Carve out time to participate in the study groups of our extraordinary class of IOP Fellows, including former diplomats who served in Democratic and Republican administrations and governors of both red and blue states.

Take advantage of the new courses in technology and public policy, including special offerings in AI governance, AI safety, and biosecurity.

And plan ahead to participate in January’s Transition Term. Thirty-six governors and hundreds of mayors will be elected in November, and you have an opportunity to contribute as these leaders begin governing. HKS is a place where we are committed to helping you get the practical experience you need to help ensure democracy delivers for people.

In the coming months, I look forward to joining the broader HKS community to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Institute of Politics and the 50th anniversary of HKS Executive Education. And I’m eager to welcome many Boston area alumni back to campus this fall and to host events across the country, including in Los Angeles and Chicago.

I am excited for all that’s ahead, and I look forward to engaging with you in the year to come.

Best,

Jeremy