Physical improvements and changes seemed to dominate the campus landscape again this year. A record number of space changes were completed; construction of the Tang Management Center proceeded on schedule, including the installation of the pedestrian bridge over Amherst Street connecting The Tang Center to the Muckley Building (E40); and the Cogeneration Project was virtually complete at year-end with the successful testing of the gas-fired turbine. This plant will generate 20 megawatts of electricity while simultaneously producing enough steam to heat and cool MIT's buildings for most of the year.
A plan for renovating Senior House was launched during the year. The project is currently in design with preparatory construction to be completed during the summer. Full-scale renovation work will be carried out next summer.
The AXO Sorority at 478 Commonwealth Avenue and the McCormick Annex at 311-312 Memorial Drive were completed and placed in service last fall.
Throughout the year, developments and improvements to the MIT Card continued. With the advent of card access control on exterior doors throughout the residence system, thefts from residence halls were down 40 percent from last year. In addition, several parking facilities were equipped with card readers for tighter access control.
A decision with major financial implications for MIT's Endicott House was made during the course of the year. The Sloan School of Management decided to discontinue offering its Program for Senior Executives. The eight-week residential program, offered each spring and fall, has been held at MIT's Endicott House for the past 38 years. Discontinuation of this program will directly influence the operations of Endicott House but an all-out effort has been launched to replace this lost business.
During the year, The Office of Special Community Service (OSCS) became affiliated with the Campus Activities Complex. The OSCS continued to support a variety of important community programs throughout the year
Affirmative Action efforts continued throughout the year. Our on-going goal is to hire minorities and women whenever possible and to promote women in non-traditional roles. We were quite optimistic that an opportunity existed to hire a minority female candidate for the position of Director of Conference Sales at Endicott House. An offer was made and accepted by the candidate but she later rejected it when she received a more enticing offer by a major hotel chain in the area. On a more positive note, a support staff position, held by a woman in the Campus Activities Complex was upgraded to the administrative staff level, a female minority candidate was hired in a support position, and a male minority technical instructor had his position reviewed and reclassified at a higher level. We were also successful in hiring a female in a non-traditional position. A national search was conducted for a new Director of Mail Services. Several viable candidates were identified, two finalists were selected, and the female candidate was chosen for the position.
We will continue to strive toward a goal of a more diverse workforce.
Following are individual department reports.
William R. Dickson