Andrew K. Ludwick: Bringing Harvard Into the 21st Century

While Al Gore '69 may have created the Internet, or at least says he did, Andrew K. Ludwick '67 took the first steps toward getting Harvard dorms and offices wired. Now Ludwick is aiming to be on one of the University's two highest boards.

Ludwick, who lives in Palo Alto, Calif. and is currently working as a private investor, was in the information technologies industry from 1980 to his retirement in 1997 from his role as CEO and president of Bay Networks.

In the late 80s, Ludwick says, he saw that technology would have a huge impact on the Harvard of the future. He gave the University $1 million for the construction of a computer network to push Harvard in the right direction. He also arranged for the company he headed to sell networking equipment to the University at cost. This is the backbone of today's campus network.

"I don't think [the Faculty of Arts and Sciences] FAS had enough appreciation for what was ahead," Ludwick says.

While Ludwick says he could bring a technology perspective to the Board of Overseers, he says he has much more to offer than just that.

"I would view my perspective as a generalist," Ludwick says. "I wouldn't bring in a particular pre-defined agenda."

Ludwick knows Harvard well. He has served on the Dean's Council, a group of alumni advisors who meet several times a year with Dean of the Faculty Jeremy R. Knowles. He says this has kept him "in touch" with matters affecting FAS.

Ludwick also served as a West Coast co-chair of the major gifts committee for the recently completed $2.6 billion Capital Campaign. He is also a member of the visiting committee on the use of information technology in FAS.

But Ludwick has not always been an active alum. He says that until his twenty-fifth reunion his participation had been lackluster. He attributes this the limited presence of Harvard alumni on the West Coast, where he lived at the time.

Ludwick is also interested in education in his own state. He has worked to improve the California Community College system and to improve education in minority and economically underdeveloped communities.

At Harvard, Ludwick was an honors economics concentrator and a resident of Adams House. Ludwick says that he fit the pre-randomization stereotype of Adams House residents--an active member of the arts community. However, he says he was mostly behind the scenes in theater productions.

While he spent much of his time outside of class working in the Business' School kitchen, he did play football as a first-year. He also worked on Let's Go during his junior and senior years, when the publication was still in its infancy.

After graduation from the College, Ludwick went across the river to the Business School. Ludwick has had two children who attended the College, a daughter who graduated last year and a son who is a first-year this year.