Letters to MIT Community

Letter to the Community: MIT Chancellor Announcement

Thursday, February 10, 2011

It gives me great pleasure to announce the appointment of Professor Eric Grimson to serve as the next Chancellor of MIT, effective March 1, 2011. Professor Grimson brings to the role an extraordinary depth and breadth of preparation – as an MIT alumnus; as a faculty member who has, over three decades, produced pioneering research and taught more than 10,000 MIT students; and as the leader of the Institute's single largest department, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. For a fuller sense of his commitment and credentials, I urge you to read the announcement below. I also want to thank the dozens of MIT faculty, students and staff who advised me through this process.

At this time of transition, I extend my most sincere thanks to Chancellor Phillip Clay for his thoughtful leadership, sage counsel and exceptional contributions to MIT through a decade in this demanding role. Chancellor Clay spearheaded many important improvements in campus life, from a profound redesign of student health services to the creation of a vibrant residential graduate student community. As a driving force behind the Campaign for Students, he has helped raise more than $540 million to support present and future generations of MIT students. More broadly, he has played a central role in developing the Institute's global engagements. We are very lucky to have had his dedicated service for so long, and I look forward to his continued service as Senior Advisor to the President.

Sincerely,

Susan Hockfield


 

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