Richard J. Light has authored or coauthored seven books. With his most recent book, Making the Most of College: Students Speak Their Minds, he has secured his place as an authority on higher education and its effects on individuals and institutions.
Dr. Light teaches statistics, program evaluation, and policy analysis at Harvard, with special focus on programs in education. He received his PhD in statistics from Harvard in 1969 and was appointed a professor in 1974. He is currently director of the Seminar on Assessment, a consortium designed to research college effectiveness. He is also the recipient of a number of honors, including the Paul Lazersfeld Award for distinguished contributions to scientific practice, an election to the National Board of the American Association for Higher Education, and an appointment to the National Board of the Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education. Dr. Light was also recently named as one of America’s great teachers by Vanderbilt University.
Dr. Light lives in Belmont, Massachusetts, with his wife, Patricia, and two daughters.
