Vol. 2, No. 2, March 2005
Welcome to Engineering Our World, the MIT School of Engineering's free bulletin for alumni and friends. Updated six times yearly, Engineering Our World describes some of the work we're doing at the leading edge of technological change, providing news and articles of the School's major initiatives.Past Issues
MIT Campaign Benefits School of Engineering
by Dean Thomas L. Magnanti
The MIT campaign, "Calculated Risk, Creative Revolutions," closed to resounding success on December 31, 2004, exceeding the $2 billion goal by $50 million. Departments, labs, centers, and programs in the School of Engineering are already benefiting from approximately $409 million of the campaign funds designated to them. Dean Thomas L. Magnanti discusses the impact of the campaign.
Q: With the end of the campaign, what are some of the highlights for the School of Engineering from your perspective?
TLM: Perhaps the most gratifying aspect of the campaign has been the extraordinary enthusiasm and generosity of our alumni and friends over the past seven years and the great personal pleasure I've had in meeting with so many of them. If you had asked any of us in the School of Engineering at the beginning to the campaign, no one would have thought we would be able to raise over $400 million. The generosity of our alumni and friends is really impressive. I'm particularly appreciative of the time alumni have spent as volunteers and their willingness to make stretches in their personal philanthropy – from continued and increased annual giving to a number of very large gifts.
The results of the campaign have put us in good stead for the future and provide a firm base to address the increasingly multidisciplinary nature of engineering research and education. Among the notable achievements of the campaign are:
- the opening of the magnificent Ray and Maria Stata Center for Computer, Information, and Intelligence Sciences;
- a multimillion-dollar, expendable gift for two new, School-wide endeavors: the Deshpande Center, a catalyst for the development of innovative technologies; and the Undergraduate Practice Opportunities Program (UPOP) , a special program in engineering practice and mentorship for sophomores;
- fellowship and unrestricted funding for our divisions of Biological Engineering and Engineering Systems;
- 15 new endowed professorships; more than 40 endowed full-year or one-semester fellowships; and
- added support for the School's innovative middle- and high-school-level science and engineering programs for students from underrepresented and underserved communities.