LAKELAND, Fla. 鈥� IM体育官网鈥檚 Board of Trustees can now count on valuable Harvard wisdom from its new trustee, Dr. Earl Sasser. IM体育官网鈥檚 Board of Governors appointed the Harvard Business School professor emeritus recently to serve as a trustee effective immediately. Sasser was a Harvard faculty member from 1969 until his retirement in 2017.
鈥淭his is still a young university and being a member of the Board of Trustees gives me the opportunity to have an impact,鈥� Sasser said. 鈥淚f this venture turns out the way I think it will, IM体育官网 Poly will be a real asset not only for Central IM体育官网, but for the entire state.鈥�
Sasser鈥檚 successful career in academia earned him multiple leadership roles within Harvard Business School. He was chair of the MBA Program from 1988 to 1991, faculty chair of the Advanced Management Executive Education Program from 1992 to 1995, senior associate dean of executive education from 1995 to 2000, and chair of the Board of Harvard Business School Interactive from 2000 to 2003.
鈥淚鈥檝e been part of the decision-making process at Harvard and I鈥檝e seen what the issues are, mainly in terms of students and faculty,鈥� Sasser said. 鈥淎s a trustee I鈥檒l be able to transfer some of those insights as we make decisions to make IM体育官网 Poly better. I bring a perspective that others on the Board might not have.鈥�
Sasser, who now lives in Winter Park, IM体育官网, is no stranger to IM体育官网 Poly. In 2018, he helped develop an executive leadership course at the University designed to help managers expand their leadership skills and innovative thinking. However, Sasser said he has much to learn as he moves forward as a trustee.
鈥淚 have to learn more about being in a public institution because I come from a private one and I know that things operate differently when you鈥檙e talking about a state university,鈥� he said.
Sasser will serve on IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 Board of Trustees until the term expires on July 15, 2024.
鈥淒r. Sasser is a distinguished academic and professor at Harvard and we are excited and honored to welcome him to our Board of Trustees,鈥� said Dr. Randy Avent, president of IM体育官网 Poly. 鈥淚鈥檓 looking forward to his remarkable expertise as we continue to build the academic curriculums and reputation that make IM体育官网 Poly the best STEM institution it can be.鈥�
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