Harvard Business School celebrates its first century

On April 8, 1908, the Harvard University Board of Overseers approved the establishment of a graduate school of business administration, the first in the world to offer the MBA degree. Described as a great but delicate experiment, HBS started with a full-time faculty of fifteen, a handful of staff, and a student body of fewer than a hundred. The School had no buildings of its own until a gift from New York financier George F. Baker in 1924 enabled the construction of a campus.

In the decades since, HBS has flourished, setting a high standard in the quality of its teaching, research, and course development and dedicating itself to its mission of educating leaders who make a difference in the world. Its case method of teaching is widely emulated.

HBS helped establish and develop such fields as organizational behavior, marketing, managerial accounting, and corporate strategy. The School is now at the forefront in addressing important issues affecting companies and countries, large corporations and small startups, for-profit businesses and social enterprises.

On this truly unique occasion, said the Centennial celebration program, we come together to celebrate an institution that has not only left its mark around the globe but played an important role in our own lives. Today, as we continue to contribute to the success of Harvard Business School, we become part of its Centennial history as well.

On April 8, 2008, when HBS turned 100, the day opened with a convocation that included remarks by HBS Dean Jay Light, Harvard University President Drew Faust, HBS Professor and Senior Associate Dean John Quelch, Director of Administrative Services Robert Breslow, and Jimmy Tran, a second-year student in the MBA program.

What has been accomplished here in 100 short years is truly remarkable, said Professor Quelch. [The lives of alumni] transformed by an unparalleled commitment to teaching excellence and by the lifelong friendships nurtured in our classrooms; millions of jobs created by the business leaders and entrepreneurs whom we, as faculty, have had the privilege of coaching; hundreds of scholars who have advanced our understanding of management, leadership and wealth creation, generously funded by HBS to pursue their intellectual agendas; and thousands of staff members and their families who have taken pride in being associated with this fine and caring school.

After the convocation - and for the first time in HBS history - the same case study was taught simultaneously across campus to all members of the community. Prepared by Senior Lecturer Michael Roberts, HBS in 2008 put readers in the role of Dean Light as he focused on the future of HBS in the 21st century.

A portfolio of student-organized panels and talks that ran concurrently throughout the campus followed.

HBS has had a strong inpact in development of management education in India too. HBS payed an active role in setting up of Indian Institute of Management at Ahmedabad.

Harvard Business School is located on a 40-acre campus in Boston. Its faculty of more than 200 offers full-time programs leading to the MBA and doctoral degrees, as well as more than 70 open enrollment Executive Education programs and more than 70 custom programs.