Letters

Thanks and some reflections

To The Faculty Newsletter:

I want to thank you for continuing to send the Newsletter to me. I retired from the Department of Biological Sciences (which was dismantled long ago) at age 65, and went over to the Boston University School of Medicine to teach pathology to medical students, and do research for another 10 or so years. I have enjoyed it all and after completing my doctoral work at the University of Missouri in 1958, never did another day of work – it was all fun! My only comment on contrasting the students at MIT and at BU is that MIT students know how to think; BU Medical students know how to memorize! Other than that they are all wonderful, stimulating, and delightful slices of humanity, placed on this old rock to enjoy!

My major reason for this note is that a new President [of MIT] has been chosen and that offers some opportunities unavailable before, namely, engaging the entire faculty in the continuing progress of the Institute programs, the progress of which is not easily approached but, in my opinion, essential to the success of this great institution in meeting its obligations in a dangerous and ever-changing world.

The letter from the Editorial Board of the Newsletter to the Class of 2012 and Professor Reif’s remarks to the MIT community illustrate much of the need for such action. However, what really brought the subject to mind was a comment made by one of my former faculty mates, Professor Steven Tannenbaum, in one of your recent issues. After reading several demands by faculty members for the group to get on with some decisions, Steven said something like “here we go again, from the top down,” indicating that the senior faculty is usually telling the others what to do – obviously not the way to move things ahead! It would be nice to be able to include the entire faculty, or appropriate interested persons, in important decisions for the Institute.

Once more, let me thank you and colleagues for the usually interesting and surely useful Faculty Newsletter. Best wishes to you “all.” (I’m from below the Mason/Dixon line!)

Paul M. Newberne

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