President Neil L. Rudenstine has appointed Christensen Professor of Business Michael E. Porter as University Professor, the highest possible honor for a member of the faculty.

Porter is currently one of the most sought after consultants in competitive business strategy. His most well-known book, Competitive Strategy: Techniques for Analyzing Industries and Competitors, is in its 53rd printing and has been translated into 17 languages.

Porter, the 20th professor to hold the post since its inception in 1936, is now certified to teach in any of Harvard's nine schools. He is the fourth professor from Harvard Business School (HBS) to earn the honor.

He will hold the Bishop William

Lawrence University Professorship, a chair named after a Harvard Corporation member who played a crucial role in raising funds for the University in the 1920s.

The University Professor position was established in 1935 by President James B. Conant '14, who cited a need to institute "a certain number of University Professors with roving commissions whose teaching and creative work shall not be hampered by departmental considerations."

In a press release, Rudenstine said that Porter was an ideal choice for the post.

"From every point of view--as an imaginative and penetrative thinker, an influential writer, and a gifted teacher--Mike Porter fits the role of University Professor perfectly," Rudenstine said. "He will now have the chance to bring his extraordinary energy and intelligence to bear on many subjects of inquiry across the entire University."