Back to School: My First Month at Harvard ALI
On my first day at Harvard (August 17, 2026) I walked across campus surrounded by students, Harvard flags, historic buildings, and other Fellows in my cohort. Veritas (Latin for “truth”) appeared on shields all around me, a fitting backdrop for a year I hoped would be filled with new questions and discoveries. With an unmistakable buzz in the air, I remember thinking two things:
Is this really happening?
I am so pumped to be here!
A month later, I still feel that way, although I have been reminded that returning to school comes with a learning curve. Recently, a professor called on me to discuss the assigned readings. My honest response was, “What readings?” Apparently, I had not navigated to the correct section of Canvas to find the homework. It was a humbling reminder that even a former CEO can be defeated by a learning-management system.
First day of school in front of Widener Memorial Library.
I applied to Harvard’s Advanced Leadership Initiative (ALI) because I wanted this next stage of my life to be meaningful. After years of building and leading a company, I was ready to explore new subjects and think more deeply about how I might use my experience to help others. I was particularly interested in investigating the heart-health challenges facing endurance athletes as they age. This is an issue that has become very personal to me.
ALI began with two full weeks of orientation, and the ALI staff deserves enormous credit for how thoughtfully and seamlessly it was organized. Every session, introduction, meal, and transition seemed designed to help us understand Harvard…and, just as importantly, get to know one another. The care and thought behind it were evident throughout.
Our cohort of 53 Fellows comes from an extraordinary range of backgrounds, industries, countries, and life experiences. We shared our personal journeys, explored the different schools across Harvard, and began forming relationships that may ultimately be every bit as valuable as what we learn in the classroom.
Some of the stories I heard are not mine to retell, but they helped me understand how history, geography, opportunity, and injustice can profoundly shape a person’s life. Those conversations have already challenged some of my assumptions and helped me see experiences very different from my own.
2027 ALI Cohort. Photo by Russ Campbell.
Orientation also exposed us to a remarkable collection of professors and ideas. We explored leadership, inequality, civil society, artificial intelligence, implicit bias, education, public health, and the role of luck in determining success. We heard from professors including Michael Sandel, Cass Sunstein, Mahzarin Banaji, Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, and many others. It was intellectually exhilarating and, occasionally, a little overwhelming!
Now that classes have started, I am studying the biology of aging, the global heart disease epidemic, and astronomy. In the course of a single week, I can go from examining why our bodies age, to considering how cardiovascular disease affects millions of people, to contemplating the scale of the universe.
The Harvard students have been another highlight. They are thoughtful, curious, engaged, and willing to challenge ideas…although I occasionally wonder if they’re thinking, “Who is this old guy in our classroom?” The teaching assistants have been fantastic as well: knowledgeable, enthusiastic, approachable, and very patient with those of us still learning where everything is located on Canvas (ha!).
Beyond classes and our ALI cohort “deep dives,” there seems to be an interesting speaker or event happening somewhere at Harvard every evening. At the Kennedy School, I have heard Arthur Brooks speak about happiness and meaning, and retired FDNY Chief Joseph Pfeifer reflect on the split-second decisions, courage, and humanity he witnessed on September 11. These experiences have taken me far beyond the subjects I initially expected to study.
Another “I can’t believe I’m here” moment happened during a hallway conversation with a professor. I mentioned my heart-health project, and he immediately began telling me about his related research. That brief, unplanned exchange captured something special about Harvard: the possibility of encountering a new idea, or someone who can help shape it, almost anywhere. I have been struck by how friendly and accessible the professors are and how genuinely interested they seem in helping us explore our ideas.
And then there is Cambridge itself. When I was a student nearby at Tufts (in the 90s), Harvard Square mostly meant John Harvard’s Brew Pub, The Hong Kong, Tower Records, and The Pit — many of which are long gone. Now I’m experiencing it differently: walking through Harvard Yard, moving between schools and research centers, and occasionally sitting outside the Divinity School with a coffee. With the campus feeling so alive at the start of a new academic year, it is a particularly wonderful time to be here.
My goal for the year is not to rush toward a predetermined outcome. I want to soak in the full Harvard experience and get to know my fellow Fellows, meet students, attend talks across the University, and follow interesting questions wherever they lead. I am already realizing that my question about heart health for highly active adults is important, but also filled with nuance and complexity. That does not discourage me. If anything, it makes me want to understand it more deeply.
So after spending much of my career focused on decisions, deadlines, and results, it feels refreshing to be in an environment where the immediate goal is simply to remain curious. I am only one month into the experience, and I already feel challenged, energized, humbled, and incredibly fortunate to be here.
