Information on the Visiting Committee 2009

Some of you may have heard something about a "Visiting Committee" that is coming to DUSP in November. If you're wondering what it is or what this all has to do with you, read on...

So, what is the Visiting Committee?
It is a committee consisting of members of the MIT Corporation, alumni/ae nominees; and members nominated by the President - many are professionals in the planning field or professors at other planning departments. They operate as an advisory group to the Corporation and the administration, offering appraisal, advice, and insight on DUSP. In a sense, they are like a board of advisors. The MIT Corporation coordinates their visits (every two years, for ALL departments) and the whole thing is a very formal process.

For more information on MIT's Visiting Committees, check outhttp://web.mit.edu/corporation/visiting.html

When are they coming?
November 2nd and 3rd.

What materials have the members of the Visiting Committee received in preparation for their visiting?
You can check out all the things that were included in their packets (like their schedule, memos, reports, etc) here: https://web.mit.edu/dusp/dusp_extension/documents/visiting_committee_2009/ Certificates are required - this means it is only available to DUSP students as some of these documents coming from the Provost's Office contain sensitive information about individual staff members that should not be shared outside of the DUSP community.

What interaction will they have with students?
Aside from receiving copies of student written visioning memos (from Spring 2009), there is an approximately 2 hour lunch scheduled for student representatives to meet with the VC on November 2 at Noon. There will be some time set aside for a showcase of student work and the rest will be a conversation with the members. This is an important meeting as it is the only time the Visiting Committee gets to interact directly with students, learn about what aspects of DUSP we value the most (and how we contribute to DUSP), as well as hear our thoughts about how the department could be improved. Only students and the VC will be at the lunch, so it is really our space!