From the Director - Ash Carter

In today’s tight labor market, competition for talented young people is fierce. Here at Harvard Kennedy School, that means many graduating students are entertaining several attractive job offers. No doubt they’ll make their new employers happy.

More important than their performance, however, is the spirit of public purpose they bring to their work. This is true for both government and private-sector roles.

Let’s not kid ourselves: governance is hard, especially in democratic nations. It’s messy, inefficient, and contentious. Which is all the more reason for skillful, ethically-centered HKS graduates to enter the fray. From Capitol Hill and other nations’ capitals to federal, state, and local agencies that work for citizens’ security and rights, ensure electoral integrity, provide environmental protection, and collaborate with international partners, graduates have numerous ways to apply their talent and dedication on behalf of something larger than self.

The need for leaders who feel responsibility for the public good is arguably even more important in the private sector. The challenges we face today are too daunting for any government alone. Engineers, consultants, marketers, and senior managers must all feel a stake in solving our common problems. Increasingly, HKS grads will transition between the public and private sectors multiple times in their lifetime—bringing a mentality of service and a set of skills with them that edify their professional environments.

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One reason the Belfer Center has such strong academic impact is because of the excellence of its quarterly journal, International Security, and its long-time editor, Sean Lynn-Jones. Sean retired this year after three decades of outstanding service, leading the journal to a repeated No. 1 worldwide ranking. Sean is also an influential writer and scholar: His 1998 article, “Why the United States Should Spread Democracy,” has become a classic. Given his return visits to the Center and continued engagement with scholars, Sean may be failing retirement. But he has succeeded in helping us recruit an outstanding new editor, Morgan Kaplan. Morgan, a former Belfer Center fellow, joins us from the Buffet Institute for Global Studies at Northwestern.

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On a recent quiet Monday afternoon, the sounds of “America the Beautiful” filled our halls. A singer was performing at a citizenship ceremony in the JFK Jr. Forum. Men and women from over 25 countries had assembled to take the oath of citizenship. Several HKS faculty members, including the Belfer Center’s Meghan O’Sullivan and Tarek Masoud, shared remarks about ideas many of us take for granted: freedom, democracy, and self-government. As new citizens took their oath with great reverence, they personified America’s unique motto: e pluribus unum—out of many, one. The same unity of spirit fills the HKS commencement tent. Families from over 100 countries salute graduates who share the same ambition: Ask what you can do.