MIT
MIT Faculty Newsletter  
contents Vol. XX No. 2
November / December 2007

This issue of the Faculty Newsletter features the Provost and Chancellor on "Should MIT Increase the Size of the Faculty?"; A White Paper on institutional international exchanges by Dean Hastings; and insight into the workings of the Office of Admissions by Acting Director Stuart Schmill.

Spotlight
Photo: Terrapass.com
The MIT Energy Initiative:
One Year Later

The director and deputy director of the MIT Energy Initiative relate its progress to date.
Avoiding a Rush to Judgement: Implications of the Star Simpson Affair
Did MIT act inappropriately in issuing a press release before all facts were known?
 
A Beacon Beyond Our Borders
Susan Hockfield
Just 10 men comprised the first faculty after MIT’s founding in 1861. With a handful of students in rented space these professors built the foundations of the . . .
Editorial
M.I.T.'s Real Assets
Recent faculty discussions have focused on MIT’s roles and responsibilities regarding major global problems.The President’s state of the Institute report in this . . .
A Call for Nominations
The Faculty Newsletter is now accepting nominations for candidates to serve on the Newsletter Editorial Board. All current faculty members or professors emeriti are . . .
From the Faculty Chair
Disagreements and Community Building
Bish Sanyal
When I became the Chair of the Faculty in June 2007, I was aware that MIT needed to forge a new consensus – a new “social contract” among the faculty, administration . . .
Should MIT Increase the Size of the Faculty?
L. Rafael Reif, Phillip L. Clay
We announced some time ago a plan to return the MIT undergraduate population to ~4,500 from the present number of ~4,100. As many of our faculty colleagues may . . .
Avoiding a Rush to Judgement:
Implications of the Star Simpson Affair
Patrick Henry Winston, Kenneth R. Manning
On Friday morning, September 21, Star Simpson was arrested at Logan Airport. Before Ms. Simpson, '10, was able to return to MIT to seek help following her . . .
The purpose of faculty meetings?
Michel DeGraff
My enthusiasm was kindled by our new Chair of the Faculty's first public comments at our first faculty meeting of the fall, on September 19, 2007. Professor . . .
Letters
Not the Way to Treat Family
John Belcher
MIT is a community and in many ways an extended family. For our younger students i particular, we act in the absence of parents. If my son had been arrested at . . .
The MIT Energy Initiative: One Year Later
Ernest J. Moniz, Robert C. Armstrong
The MIT Energy Initiative (MITEI) was formally established in November 2006, with a broad mandate to address global energy and associated environmental challenges:
Faculty Renewal
Lorna J. Gibson
As members of the faculty, we all recognize the critical importance of our ability to recruit the very best faculty in our fields of education and research, in order to . . .
MIT Poetry
Can't Stop Laughing
Anne M. Hudson
At first, I ascended next to Troilus / in the seventh sphere / looking down on our planet
Making a Mountain Out of a Molehill:
Understanding the U.S. News Rankings
David Lewis
The recent U.S. News & World Report rankings of colleges, in which MIT fell from fourth to seventh, has resulted in much discussion and consternation within . . .
Faculty Quality of Life
In 2004, 10% of MIT faculty reported spending 80 or more hours per week doing MIT-related work, and 13% reported sleeping, on average, five hours or fewer per . . .
A White Paper on How MIT Should Think About
Institutional International Exchanges
Daniel Hastings
MIT, like many internationally oriented universities, is discussing how to lead in an era where there are global economies and global collaborations. Like all modern . . .
The MIT Office of Admissions: Choosing the Best Candidates
and Handling Them With Care
Stuart Schmill
As the outstanding students in the class of 2011 settle into their lives as the newest members of MIT, I thought it would be a good time to provide you with a window . . .
A Meeting with Disaster:
Planning for Emergencies and Extended Outages
Bill VanSchalkwyk
Would you be prepared to be locked out of your office or lab for 40 days? MIT occupants at One Broadway, in Kendall Square, had that experience last winter.
The Pitfalls of Digitial Rights Management
Wai Cheng
How would you feel about colleagues who wish to read a paper you wrote for a professional organization being limited in the number of times they were allowed . . .
M.I.T. Numbers
Student Global Experiences (IROP and Survey Answers)
M.I.T. Numbers
Student Global Experiences (MISTI Participation)
   
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