HSPH Dean Barry Bloom expressed gratification that the mission of the school is being recognized and supported by the new fellowship program. "One of the greatest contributions that HSPH can make to the world is training leaders of the future," said Dean Bloom. "Our students are dedicated to the mission of improving the health of the poorest and most underserved people in this country and globally. The Zuckerman Fellows Program will help us extend the message of that mission deeply into different sectors in society. We also thank Mr. Zuckerman for his inclusive vision that looked across the University to tap the richness of our entire academic community."

Said Harvard University President Lawrence H. Summers, "We have an opportunity to help the next generation of Americans to ask themselves what they can do for their country and for their world. Mort Zuckerman’s gift will make a difference not just to students at Harvard but to the shape of our society for generations to come. I am very grateful for his generosity and his dedication to this important mission."

A graduate of Harvard Law School in 1962, Zuckerman taught classes on public policy and real estate development at the Harvard Graduate School of Design from 1966 to 1975. He became a leading real estate developer and later an owner of several successful media publications, including the New York Daily News.

Referring to the students who will participate in the fellowship program, Zuckerman said, "If they are inspired by the program at Harvard, at some point they will feel the pull to serve their own communities, whether on the state, local, or federal level."

In addition to their coursework, participants in the Zuckerman Fellows Program will meet regularly for dinner and discussions with one another and with a Harvard faculty member, policymaker, educator, public health professional, or private sector leader who is strongly involved in the public sector. They will also travel together on an annual basis to directly observe the work of public sector professionals and to discuss challenges with leading figures in these fields.

The co-curricular component of the Zuckerman Fellows Program will be undertaken by the Center for Public Leadership at the Kennedy School of Government. For more information, visit the announcement at www.news.harvard.edu/gazette/daily/0404/30-zuckerman.html.