Archon Fung Named Academic Dean at Harvard Kennedy School

June 25, 2014
Archon Fung Named Academic Dean at Harvard Kennedy School

Cambridge, Mass.Archon Fung, the Ford Foundation Professor of Democracy and Citizenship at Harvard Kennedy School (HKS), will succeed Iris Bohnet, Professor of Public Policy, as the School’s next Academic Dean as of July 1. HKS Dean David T. Ellwood made the announcement.

The Academic Dean reports directly to Dean Ellwood and is responsible for overseeing the school’s academic priorities, including faculty appointments and reviews, curriculum issues, the Faculty Steering Committee, faculty conflict of interest and research integrity policies, and numerous other academic issues.

Fung currently serves as co-director of the Kennedy School’s Transparency Policy Project at the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation. His research examines the impacts of civic participation, public deliberation, and transparency upon public and private governance.

“Archon has a strong commitment to the HKS mission, and his energy, enthusiasm, creativity and collaborative manner are a huge asset to all of the projects in which he is involved here,” said Ellwood. “I look forward to working more closely with him in this new role.”

"I am eager to embrace this new challenge of helping to guide the Kennedy School's academic priorities. The mission of our school is to train public leaders and produce ideas that help solve the daunting public problems facing our societies. I look forward to working closely with our incredibly talented and diverse faculty, Dean Ellwood, and the rest of the senior leadership team to advance that mission," said Fung.

Fung first joined the HKS faculty in 1999 and was named Professor of Public Policy in October 2007. His recent books and edited collections include “Deepening Democracy: Institutional Innovations in Empowered Participatory Governance”; “Can We Eliminate Sweatshops?”; “Working Capital: The Power of Labors Pensions”; and “Beyond Backyard Environmentalism.” His articles on regulation, rights, and participation appear in Political Theory; Journal of Political Philosophy; Politics and Society; Governance; Environmental Management; American Behavioral Scientist; and Boston Review. Fung earned two BS degrees in Physics and Philosophy and a Ph.D. in Political Science from MIT.

Harvard Kennedy School maintains an abiding commitment to advancing the public interest by training skilled, enlightened leaders and solving public problems through world-class scholarship and active engagement with practitioners and decision makers. The school offers the depth, reflection, insight and excellence of ideas and teaching that can shape future leaders, affect public policies, and make an impact on people and their daily lives.

For more information, contact:

Doug Gavel
HKS Communications
(617) 495-1115
Doug_Gavel@harvard.edu