A Tribute to Richard Light

Professor Richard Light's long relationship to Harvard has taken many forms over the years: student, teacher (both at HGSE and Harvard Kennedy School), researcher. But it was in 1986 that that relationship went to new levels, when he was asked by Harvard's then-president Derek Bok to take a look at how the university could help to improve the experience of its students. Since then, four more Harvard presidents — Neil Rudenstine, Larry Summers, Drew Faust, and Larry Bacow — have asked him to continue this work, resulting in numerous innovations that have enhanced student life at the university. Light's work in this area also extended beyond Harvard, with other colleges and universities asking him over the years to lead similar assessments at their institutions. 

After nearly six decades at Harvard, Light's relationship to the school is changing once again as he prepares for his retirement from teaching and advising — although several projects, including work with the Center on Education Policy Research and HKS, will continue.

Here, one of Light's former students and advisees, and co-author of his recent book, Becoming Great Universities, pays him tribute:

On Dick Light’s Retirement

By Allison Jegla, Ed.M.’20 

As with all new Ed.M. students, I was matched with a faculty adviser when I arrived at Harvard in autumn 2019. I assumed this was someone with whom I would check in from time to time, query about course recommendations, and have a positive but likely rather superficial relationship. The fact that this couldn’t have been further from the truth is a testament not only to the way Harvard operates, but especially to the caliber of my adviser: Richard Light, Carl H. Pforzheimer Professor of Teaching and Learning. 

Upon seeing that I had been paired with Professor Light, I searched his name on Google and was instantly both impressed and intimidated. His academic achievements speak for themselves; his CV is decorated with accolades and achievements in the field of higher education and beyond. His counsel has been sought by countless university deans and presidents, and he is the author of numerous books including Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds, one of the top three bestselling books in the 100-year history of Harvard University Press. By the time I arrived on campus, it had been his academic home for 50 years. I wondered if perhaps his long tenure at Harvard might mean he had slowed down in any way. 

Any concern about that evaporated the second I met him. (In fact, it’s almost laughable to think about him ever slowing down.) Dick came bounding into our first advising session, clad in his signature suit and tie and toting a briefcase. I liked him immediately. It’s frankly impossible not to, what with his unflappable optimism, warm demeanor, and obvious enthusiasm about both Harvard and higher education. 

As a student in his seminar course, I saw firsthand Dick’s unparalleled knowledge of higher education and ability to ask uniquely thought-provoking questions. Rather than lecturing on facts for us to memorize, Dick wove together examples that helped my fellow students and I unearth trends and themes. As I got to know him better as advisee and student, I came to realize that Dick might just be one of the most authentic people I’ve ever met in my life. He is genuinely excited about what he does, and he is shamelessly obsessed with quality. When he invited me to co-author a book with him, he gave me an opportunity that I still — years later — can hardly believe was real.  

Writing Becoming Great Universities: Small Steps for Sustained Excellence alongside Dick was the greatest honor of my life. Through the multi-year effort, I had a front row seat not only to the work of one of the brightest minds in higher education, but also to the way he approaches life. Writing a book is laborious, and Dick’s enthusiasm for the project and subject matter never once wavered. I can truthfully say that I have never heard him complain in the hundreds of hours we’ve spent either across a table from one another or conversing on Zoom. 

A tribute to Dick Light would be incomplete without mention of his family. Many patriarchs express pride in their progeny, but with Dick it radiates from the very core of his being. Yes, he has reached the pinnacle of professional success, but his dedication to his incredible wife, Pat, and their children and grandchildren is one of the things I admire most about him. 

There are few people who have had a more profound positive impact on my life and career than Dick Light, and I thank my lucky stars every day that such is the case. What a legacy he leaves at his beloved Harvard and on higher education: a field that is better off because he chose to make it part of his life’s work. Congratulations on your tremendous career, Dick. I can’t wait to see what comes next — I know you won’t be slowing down. 

Career Highlights

• Created the Harvard Assessment Seminars, a consortium of leaders from 25 colleges and universities, with the common goal to carry out research on enhancing college effectiveness
• Formed and co-chaired the Forum for Excellence and Innovation in Higher Education which brings together representatives from 16 colleges and universities to try innovations and rigorously assess their impact on students’ learning
• Created and chaired the Harvard Higher Education Leaders Forum that brings together rising future campus leaders each year for discussion and debate about changing campus needs
• Brought together campus leaders from Harvard, Brown, Duke and
  Georgetown to work collaboratively to explore and enhance the experiences of first-generation college students at highly selective campuses
• First elected president of the American Evaluation Association
• Chaired the Panel on Youth for the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C.
• Elected Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and of The National Academy of Education. 
• Won the Paul Lazarsfeld Award for distinguished contributions to science
• Named by Vanderbilt University’s Chancellor’s Lecture Series as one of America’s great teachers