MIT
MIT Faculty Newsletter  
contents Vol. XXV No. 2
November / December 2012

This issue of the Faculty Newsletter focuses on the report by the Task Force on Community Engagement with MIT 2030 Planning. We also offer a new feature: "Beyond the Classroom," as well as articles on graduate students and the Office of Faculty Support.

Spotlight
walking in snow
Task Force on Community Engagement with 2030 Planning
Faculty Chair Sam Allen offers his insights concerning the Task Force.
Graduate Student Life, Research Productivity, and the MITIMCo Proposal
Jonathan King continues the discussion of the need for on-campus graduate student housing.
MIT: First in the World, Sixth
in the U.S.?

MIT's Office of Institutional Research explains the oftentimes confusing and contradictory college rankings.
 
Editorial
Faculty MIT 2030 Task Force Report Clearly Identifies Key Issues
Editorial Subcommittee
The thoughtful and penetrating report from the Faculty Task Force on Community Engagement in MIT 2030 Planning is published in full in this issue. We share . . .
Report of the Task Force on Community Engagement in 2030 Planning on Development of MIT-Owned Property in Kendall Square
Beyond the Classroom
What Students Want From Faculty
Edmund Bertschinger
I know an MIT faculty member who grew up in a poor Latino neighborhood, whose immigrant mother had only an eighth-grade education and whose father never . . .
From the Faculty Chair
Task Force on Community Engagement with 2030 Planning
Samuel M. Allen
My biggest aspiration in taking on the role of Chair of the Faculty has been to improve faculty/administration communication, collaboration, and trust. Whether justified . . .
Graduate Student Life, Research Productivity, and the MITIMCo Proposal
Jonathan King
Few faculty, students, or administrators doubt the advantage of a residential campus over a commuter campus for undergraduate education. The ability of students . . .
The Millenials@MIT: Discussions on the Generational Changes in the Graduate Student Population
Christine Ortiz, Ellan Spero
Over the past two years, we have had extensive discussions with graduate students at monthly “Dinners and Dialogue,” a number of focus groups, panels and many . . .
The Office of Faculty Support: What Can We Do To Help You?
Diana Henderson
Our name says it all – the Office of Faculty Support (OFS) is here to help faculty in your educational endeavors. OFS staff members assist in developing and coordinating . . .
Preparing for a New Industrial Revolution
Ernst G. Frankel
Manufacturing and science have converged and the new manufacturing environment has little in common with traditional ways of making things. Similarly, it is no . . .
MIT: First in the World, Sixth in the U.S.?
Many organizations create and publish rankings of institutions of higher education. They range from the trivial – Princeton Review’s top party schools – to the much . . .
An Opportunity for Faculty to Help Shape MIT’s Remarkable Graduate Student Community
Costantino J. Colombo, Christine Ortiz
Housemasters have been at the heart of the MIT graduate student experience since the 1930s, when Dr. Avery Ashdown (PhD ’24) was selected as the first live-in . . .
Faculty Committee Activity: Fall 2012 Update
Aaron Weinberger
In a practice begun last spring, the Office of the Faculty Chair publishes a biannual article in this Newsletter summarizing the work of the Standing Committees of the . . .
Progress Report on the Bernard M. Gordon – MIT Engineering Leadership Program
Joel Schindall
In May 2009, my fellow co-director, Ed Crawley and I, wrote an article in the Faculty Newsletter describing a new program housed in the School of Engineering.
The Alumni Class Funds Seek Proposals for Teaching and Education Enhancement
The Office of Faculty Support is requesting proposals for projects for the 2013-2014 academic year that improve the quality of teaching, enrich students’ learning . . .
MITAC: Your Ticket to Cultural and Recreational Activities
Leisure time with friends and family is precious, which is why the MIT Activities Committee (MITAC) is pleased for offer discounted tickets to cultural and . . .
Letters
Why We Need HumanitiesX
Janet Wasserstein
I hope that humanities will be included in any edX course offerings. I was one of the first students to enroll in the UK's Open University (OU) when it first began in the . . .
M.I.T. Numbers
Campus Population FY 1981 – 2012
   
MIT