MIT Reports to the President 1995-96
This report is the second report for the offices reporting to the Vice
President for Administration following the reorganization of Institute support
services in the summer of 1994. The offices include the office of the Vice
President, Admissions, the Department of Athletics, Physical Education and
Recreation, the Bursar's Office, Career Services and Preprofessional Advising,
the MIT Medical Department, the Registrar's Office, the Office of Sponsored
Programs, and the Student Financial Aid Office. During this past year, Student
Information Services was officially recognized as a department separate from
the Registrar's Office. Additionally, the Vice President for Administration
has Institute responsibility for coordination of MIT's legal affairs.
Our mission is to mange effectively these offices in a time of Institute
financial constraint and to develop a management team that is fully aware of
the goals and objectives of Institute leadership, is positioned to provide
input on how to achieve these goals, and is cooperatively involved with others
in the area to communicate these goals effectively to our own community members
and to our customers. Units in this division continue to perform effectively
the specific jobs required of each department. In addition, certain units in
the area have been extensively involved in a major reengineering of student
services, in coordination with other Institute reengineering efforts.
The reports of each department that follow this section highlight the major
activity that occurred during the year. While they describe many of the
activities, they cannot adequately express the amount of care and effort of
staff to ensure that each area is effectively managed or to indicate the
additional activities which department heads undertook during the illness of
the vice president. Illustrative of the richness of the reports are the
following examples of activities undertaken in 1995/1996:
- Completed the Sponsored Programs Management System and began work on the
development of the electronic proposal system
- Provided interview space for 600 employers this past year (up almost 50% from
the year before) and coordinated the efforts of more than 1650 students seeking
employment opportunities
- Moved surgical and medical activities to the Massachusetts General Hospital
- Reviewed over 8000 applications for admission, highest in MIT's history
- Participated for the first time in a new federal loan program, Direct
Lending
Major priorities for the Vice President for Administration area developed by
staff for implementation in 1996/1997 are listed below:
- Facilitate and support current Reengineering efforts, particularly student
services reengineering.
- Continue to seek, with others at MIT, the wisest and most effective balance
in the student aid program using the competing vectors of fairness, cost, and
diversity in the student body.
- Continue to improve effectiveness in counseling and support of students in
all student-related areas.
- Assure MIT interests are served in interactions with sponsors, government
agencies, congressional committees and other organizations.
- Continue the implementation of more reliable, accurate, and timely financial,
academic and other data and the electronic processing and transmission of
information through computerized efforts.
- Continue to implement the MIT Medical Department Strategic Plan and to
examining how MIT should provide health care to its students and employees and
provide options for the future, including the range of health care benefits MIT
now offers and the value to MIT of internally providing health care services.
- Continue to promote the outstanding achievements of our students in all
sports while operating a fiscally sound athletic program. Maintain the
momentum for the new 50 meter swimming pool and support facilities. Continue
efforts to identify and utilize funds to prevent the deterioration of existing
athletic facilities.
- Continue to help students and alumni frustrated by the poor job opportunities
in many sectors, including Ph.D.s who face few openings in academia and
industry.
- Develop automation and computerization within the Office of Sponsored
Programs, including the development of an electronic proposal system to
complement the recently completed sponsored program information system which
will allow the creation, review and submission of proposal electronically to
some (federal) sponsors.
- Continue priority in affirmative action hires, performance evaluation and job
development. Continue to assure that replacement, new hires, and promotions
adhere to the long-term objectives of succession planning, affirmative action,
and development of a dynamic staff.
Julie T. Norris
MIT Reports to the President 1995-96