July 2003, MIT Sloan web site

MIT Sloan alumni out in full force at Reunion 2003

MIT Sloan Dean Richard Schmalensee closed his remarks to alumni during Reunion 2003 by paraphrasing German poet Friedrich Schiller: "Dare great things and mighty forces will come to your aid."

"I believe we are daring great things here at MIT Sloan these days, as we try to take an excellent school to the next level," said Schmalensee, John C Head III Dean. "And I know our alumni are a mighty force."

Reunion 2003, June 6-8, was evidence of that force. Nearly 400 alumni attended, along with another 200 family and friends. The attendees spanned 11 classes and came from 21 countries.

What's more, the reunion classes collectively contributed more than $1 million to MIT Sloan, an important sign of support for the School's campaign to fund a new campus.

The MIT Sloan spirit was indeed palpable during reunion, as alumni participated in a traditional C-Function, Back-to-the-Classroom sessions, class dinners, and more.

Carrying forth a vision
That spirit speaks to MIT Sloan's "extraordinary heritage," said Schmalensee during his remarks.

"MIT Sloan was founded with a great deal of high-minded ambition," he said. "Mr. Sloan believed in the power of ideas. He sought to improve the world by advancing the practice of management through the sort of rigorous analysis of important problems that's always been MIT's hallmark."

From the beginning, said Schmalensee, Mr. Sloan saw the School as a unique place, woven into the fabric of MIT, the world's leading technical university.

MIT Sloan alumni and faculty have fulfilled Mr. Sloan's vision, he said, revolutionizing management practice and teaching. And the School today carries forth that vision with a new mission, more sharply focused on innovation.

"Our focus on innovation is thus both an important positioning and a natural positioning for us," he said. "At bottom, MIT and Sloan have always been about innovation, about making tomorrow better than today."

A better tomorrow
With an eye on the new mission and a better tomorrow, said Schmalensee, MIT Sloan is restructuring its MBA, Sloan Fellows, and MOT programs and expanding its executive education. It is also working to fund a new campus.

The campus, he said, will facilitate innovation among faculty and students; strengthen the School's on-campus community and its connection to the rest of MIT; help the School build ties with alumni; and stand as a landmark for a world-class management school.

Like its past, MIT Sloan's future will be marked by innovation and change in pursuit of Mr. Sloan's vision. The promise of that future, said Schmalensee, is reflected in this year's graduates — the Class of 2003 — who upon graduation contributed more than $100,000 to the School, with contributions from 84 percent of the graduates, amid a sluggish economy.

"That's an incredible commentary on the spirit that permeates MIT Sloan," he said.