Harvard Business School - Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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were all brIght capable and dIscIpIIned Individuals long before we came here and we probably could have attained our eventual standings In life without coming here The kind of neurotic and competitive behavior which we all engaged In IS both unnecessary and unworthy Another trait which pervades this country IS that Americans are uneasy with the concept of an elite and very self conscious about belonging to one Thus ambivalance created by lip service to democracy and at the same time the urge for upward mobility prevents any elite group from coming to terms with Itself and living up to llS full potential For God s sake let s admIt that we are an elite group and let s not be bashful about It' At the same time however lets also accept the Idea of noblesse oblige that because of our unusual potentialitues we also have unique responsibilities to this nation and the world ln the book The Best And The Brightest, too many characters merely regard their roles as safeguarding and accumulating American power without confronting the awesome human Impact of such power for both good and bad Similarly so many of us seem to be guided by nothing that most of us can do more that we have enough going for us that we can afford to put ethics and Ideal above self aggrandizement and more Impor tantly that we can see far enough to know that we should put ethics and Ideal above self aggrandizement To conclude I believe that too many of my fellow MBA s are selling him self or herself short On one hand we don t have anything more transcen dental than the acquIsItIve Instinct to propel ourselves forward on the other hand we are made continuously Insecure about our qualities as IndIvId uals and thereby our ability to acquire the things we want These two feel lngS reinforce each other and create the particular kind of neurosrs that per vades the Business School However, I beleve that my fellow MBAs and their successors can do more not just In making the School a better place but also In rising above the bourgeois mediocrity that so often lies under neath the affluent lives of executives ln short what I think we deserve and can attain IS excellence period rather than just a melange of achievement aggressiveness drive Intelligence shrewdness smoothness etc etc My best wishes for the long journey ahead' . I , . . . . . . I I B . . . ' . , . I . . . . . . . . . . , , . ' r . , . . - 1 , . . I I I I . . . I ' I more inspiring than the acquisition of wealth and status. However, I believe I . - . P . .. I . ' I 1 s , - I ' - ' I F l - ' 1 I N I . . i I . 1 - I I I I I I 'I '

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HARVARD UNIVERSITY KiR.XlJl'.fXTE SCPIOOI, Ulf BUSINESS ADMINlS'l'R.'X'I'lON f,3lfOlClllf I . 'H-lKI1'R l flU,N'lJ.l'TlIlN OFFICE or Tnr DFAN gmlmm FIND BOEZTHN, MAss,xc:ui's1iT'l's 01163 February 15, 1973 To the Class of 1973: As your two years here draw to a close, I hope you feel a sense of satisfaction with your accomplishments, warmth t-ward Lne new lriendships you have made, and anticipation ot the professional opportunity ahead of you. The challenge you have surmounted ol learning oy the case method should serve you well as you face the series Ol proolems and situations which will require the analysis and cooperation at which you have necome adept. The organizations ot today require conscientious, active, thoughtful managers -- managers ol the type whose behavior you have developed through the MBA Program experience. There is a unique element in the Harvard experience that defies conventional expression. It emanates, T believe, from the intensity and exchange fostered bv the MBA Program design. Tt involves contradictory qualities oi the experience becoming complementary under tne pressure of working together: diversity oi groups evolving into common goals and purposes, differing values becoming perceived and resolved at a higher level of understanding As you become an MBA alumnus, I wish you success, personal fulfillment, and professional satisfaction in the years xead. M-+14-f-4.. H- Lawrence E. Fouraker Dean 7