September 11, 2002
To All Members of the MIT Community:
Exactly one year ago today, we awoke to a beautiful, early
fall morning. The sun was warm, the sky an intense blue, and
the school year was just picking up its rhythm.
Within a few hours, that rhythm and our lives were changed
in ways no one could have imagined. From those first horrific
moments when we realized that a plane crashing into the World
Trade Center was no accident, we moved through the day with
shock, dread, and grief. But we also moved with resolve, respect,
and an extraordinary sense of caring for one another.
I have never been prouder to be a member of the MIT community
than in those days and weeks following September 11, as faculty,
students and staff joined together to affirm what is best
in us as individuals and as a university. We held fast to
the principles of open expression of ideas, of respect for
our varied cultures and faiths, and of basing our actions
on understanding. And we learned how deeply we depend on one
another.
Throughout the year, we have worked together to deepen our
community, to develop greater understanding of the root causes
of global unrest, and to help create the systems (technological,
economic, and political) that will help secure a safer world
for us all.
Today is a day of reflection and remembrance. It is also
a day to rededicate ourselves to our mission "to develop
in each member of the MIT community the ability and passion
to work wisely, creatively, and effectively for the betterment
of humankind."
I want to thank all of you for what you have done and what
you continue to do to make MIT an extraordinary center of
learning and service to our nation and the world.
Charles M. Vest
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