Reception
with Governor Michael Dukakis
Cambridge, MA
December
12, 2006
(Click
on an image for a larger version)
Left: Jielun Zhu, Student President, Harvard Business School Century Club presents
a certificate of appreciation to former Governor Michael S. Dukakis.
Right: John Clarkeson (HBS '66)
co-chairman of The Boston Consulting Group who hosted the evening, introduced the governor.
Right: John Clarkeson (HBS '66)
co-chairman of The Boston Consulting Group who hosted the evening, introduced the governor.
On December 12, 2006, former Governor Mike Dukakis visited with
40 members of the HBS Century Club to discuss the business of governing, as
well as to comment on a wide range of domestic policy priorities and international
matters. Mr. John Clarkeson, MBA 1966, co-chairman of The Boston
Consulting Group (the event's exclusive sponsor) introduced the governor. Governor
Dukakis was the Democratic Party nominee for President in 1988.
Dukakis gave the Century Club students the "up-close-and-personal" exchange the Club is famous for, beginning by recounting a bit of his family history (his father, Panos, graduated from Harvard Medical School just twelve years after he immigrated to the United States from Greece.) The governor's own life story is an American success story as well, replete with examples of his combining his enterprising spirit with social progress. While a student at Swarthmore College in the early 1950's, Dukakis earned spending money cutting hair in the third floor of Wharton Hall just outside his room, serving both white and African-American customers, which was unheard of at the time. Dukakis went on to graduate from Harvard Law School in 1960.
In response to a student's question, Dukakis compared running a state government to running a large corporation, "(As governor) you are working in a complicated and uncontrolled environment. Who's your board of directors? I guess it's the legislature, except you've got nothing to do with picking them."
On the subject of elections, the governor is a fervent believer in a strong grassroots organization. "No matter what office you are seeking, you must have a captain in every precinct," he said. Walking the talk (literally) Dukakis and his wife, Kitty, knocked on doors in his Brookline neighborhood in support of the 2006 election of Massachusetts governor, Deval Patrick. Dukakis said he came late to the view that it's important to promptly answer your political opponents in the age of the 24 news cycle: "I made a deliberate decision that I was not going to respond to the (George H. W.) Bush attack ads. And the lesson of '88 unfortunately is you can't do that."
Since June 1991, Dukakis has been a Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University and visiting professor at the School of Public Policy at UCLA. His research has focused on national health care policy reform and the lessons that national policy makers can learn from state reform efforts. Dukakis and former U.S. Senator Paul Simon authored a book entitled "How to Get Into Politics-and Why," which is designed to encourage young people to think seriously about politics and public service as a career. Dukakis was nominated by President Clinton for a five year term as a member of the new Board of Directors of Amtrak, The National Railroad Passenger Corporation on May 21, 1998 and was confirmed by the Senate on June 25, 1998. He served a full five-year term on the Amtrak Board as Vice-Chairman.
Jielun Zhu (MBA '07,) the HBS Century Club Student President, Harvard Business School Century Club presented a certificate of appreciation to the governor. Jet Hollander (MBA '83,) the HBS Century Club alumni president, thanked Governor Dukakis, congratulated the students for their admission to the Club, and thanked the Boston Consulting Group for sponsoring the event.
Dukakis gave the Century Club students the "up-close-and-personal" exchange the Club is famous for, beginning by recounting a bit of his family history (his father, Panos, graduated from Harvard Medical School just twelve years after he immigrated to the United States from Greece.) The governor's own life story is an American success story as well, replete with examples of his combining his enterprising spirit with social progress. While a student at Swarthmore College in the early 1950's, Dukakis earned spending money cutting hair in the third floor of Wharton Hall just outside his room, serving both white and African-American customers, which was unheard of at the time. Dukakis went on to graduate from Harvard Law School in 1960.
In response to a student's question, Dukakis compared running a state government to running a large corporation, "(As governor) you are working in a complicated and uncontrolled environment. Who's your board of directors? I guess it's the legislature, except you've got nothing to do with picking them."
On the subject of elections, the governor is a fervent believer in a strong grassroots organization. "No matter what office you are seeking, you must have a captain in every precinct," he said. Walking the talk (literally) Dukakis and his wife, Kitty, knocked on doors in his Brookline neighborhood in support of the 2006 election of Massachusetts governor, Deval Patrick. Dukakis said he came late to the view that it's important to promptly answer your political opponents in the age of the 24 news cycle: "I made a deliberate decision that I was not going to respond to the (George H. W.) Bush attack ads. And the lesson of '88 unfortunately is you can't do that."
Since June 1991, Dukakis has been a Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Northeastern University and visiting professor at the School of Public Policy at UCLA. His research has focused on national health care policy reform and the lessons that national policy makers can learn from state reform efforts. Dukakis and former U.S. Senator Paul Simon authored a book entitled "How to Get Into Politics-and Why," which is designed to encourage young people to think seriously about politics and public service as a career. Dukakis was nominated by President Clinton for a five year term as a member of the new Board of Directors of Amtrak, The National Railroad Passenger Corporation on May 21, 1998 and was confirmed by the Senate on June 25, 1998. He served a full five-year term on the Amtrak Board as Vice-Chairman.
Jielun Zhu (MBA '07,) the HBS Century Club Student President, Harvard Business School Century Club presented a certificate of appreciation to the governor. Jet Hollander (MBA '83,) the HBS Century Club alumni president, thanked Governor Dukakis, congratulated the students for their admission to the Club, and thanked the Boston Consulting Group for sponsoring the event.
Governor Mike Dukakis
visits the Century Club
