Figgie Professor of Business Administration Kim B. Clark '74 was named the eighth dean of the Harvard Business School (HBS) Monday.

Clark, 46, is chair of the school's Technology and Operations Management Area, as well as the elective curriculum of the MBA program. He will begin serving in his new post on October 1.

"I'm kind of at a loss as to how to respond to all this," Clark said at a press conference Monday.

"It's so exciting to be at this school. It's a great opportunity, and I'm looking forward to being part of it," he added.

President Neil L. Rudenstine, who picked Clark, said he was pleased that the professor accepted the post of dean.

"I was out to get the best dean for the best business school in the world," Rudenstine said Monday. "That's what I was looking for and that's what I got."

'In the last year we have made what I feel are fundamental changes. I'm confident we are on the right track.' --Kim B. Clark '74

Faculty and students learned of the appointment in separate meetings Monday afternoon. Rudenstine and outgoing Dean John H. McArthur introduced the dean-designate, who received a standing ovation from both groups.

A specialist in product development, Clark has been affiliated with the University for his entire academic life. He earned three degrees in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and has taught at the Business School for 17 years, the last eight as a tenured professor.

Upon hearing of the appointment, faculty praised Clark for his integrity and scholarship.

"First of all, you start with tremendous credibility among the faculty," said Robert H. Hayes, senior associate dean of the school. "He's proven himself here on all dimensions: research, teaching, [and] as an administrator."

At Monday's press conference, Clark said he has no pre-set agenda for the deanship. He described the faculty as the "heart" of the school, and said he will sit down with them to discuss priorities for his term.

"I think mostly what I have at this point is kind of hopes and dreams," Clark said.

Faculty and administrators said that Clark's relative youth will allow him to chart a long-term course for the Business School.

Among students, Clark has a reputation as an outstanding and popular teacher.

According to Larry E. Rouvelas, a second year MBA candidate who is editor of Harbus, the school's newspaper, Clark's classes perennially draw 110 percent of their capacity, a distinction shared by only about 20 percent of all Business School courses.