Harvard will open a new center this fall devoted to the study of public leadership, the Kennedy School of Government announced yesterday.
The center, which Kennedy School Dean Joseph S. Nye Jr. cited as one of the major accomplishments of his tenure, will be led by Public Service Professor David R. Gergen, a former White House adviser, and by Lecturer in Public Policy Ronald A. Heifetz.
The center will focus on research on leadership and training programs for public officials, Heifetz said yesterday, but may expand to include programs for undergraduates.
Heifetz, who has been studying leadership for 17 years, said the center's creation recognizes a growing field in academia.
"This is a dream come true," he said. "I'm three-quarters excited, one-quarter scared. It's a daunting and awesome opportunity."
The Kennedy School received initial funding for the center from Leslie Wexler, founder and chair of The Limited, and his wife Abigail. Officials at the Kennedy School would not disclose the amount of the Wexlers' gift, which will support the center for its first three years.
Gergen and Heifitz said that while planning for the center is still in the early stages, they hope to see it grow to the size of the Kennedy School's other major programs, like the Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy or the Institute of Politics.
"We see this as a significant undertaking, one in which we will collaborate with other centers and faculties at the school," Gergen said.
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