July 2020 progress
In summer 2020, amid the national outcry over the brutal killing of George Floyd, the president committed MIT to a series of actions to advance a more just and equitable future.
Institute holidays
Examine the roster of Institute holidays with an eye to equity and inclusion.
In September 2020, the president announced that MIT would change the name of the October holiday to Indigenous Peoples Day. Separately, in response to a recommendation by a working group charged to assess MIT’s roster of Institute holidays, the president announced in May 2021 that MIT would adopt Juneteenth as an Institute holiday.
DEIC staff hires in schools/college
Hire a senior officer in each MIT school and the College of Computing to guide and gauge concrete progress on diversity, equity, inclusion and community.
MIT’s five schools and the college have hired assistant deans for DEI, who have a dotted-line reporting relationship to the vice president for equity and inclusion. And many academic departments have hired diversity officers.
Antiracist research
Make a commitment of $1 million to antiracist research and seek additional funding sources.
In 2021, the Office of the Provost provided a $150,000 grant to support the Initiative on Combatting Systemic Racism, which uses big data to develop and harness computational tools that can help effect structural and normative change towards racial equity. In spring 2022, the office established a $1.2M pool for new research to pursue related goals. In April 2023, MIT announced seven projects selected for support.
Policing
Work with student leaders to review issues related to policing at MIT.
In December 2022, the president released the report of the Working Group on Reimagining Public Safety at MIT, co-chaired by Vice President and General Counsel Mark DiVincenzo, Chancellor Melissa Nobles, and former Co-President of the Black Graduate Student Union Ufuoma Ovienmhada, and committed to “drive this work forward expeditiously.” A new Community Campus Safety Council serves as a community advisory body to seek and provide ongoing feedback on questions of campus safety.
Artistic/cultural responses
Appoint an ad hoc committee to recommend artistic/cultural responses to affirm and inspire our community.
In December 2022, the chancellor released the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Arts, Culture, and DEI and charged four working groups to implement the committee’s recommendations.
MIT and Slavery
Continue to support the groundbreaking class "MIT and Slavery".
Prof. Craig Wilder continues to teach this subject, which explores the influence of slavery and race on MIT’s founding and early development, and the connections between slavery and the development of scientific and engineering institutions in the Atlantic World.
Native Americans and MIT
Fund a new research project on the history of Native Americans and MIT.
With support from the Office of the Provost, the History section has offered the class “The Indigenous History of MIT” since spring 2021. In a spring 2022 letter to the community, the president described the steps MIT will take in response to the class’s findings, and MIT News published an article with additional details. The president released the report of the ad hoc Indigenous Working Group in a December 2022 letter to the community.
Action plan for diversity, equity and inclusion
Engage the community in developing and implementing an Institute-wide action plan for diversity, equity and inclusion.
Following an extensive community engagement process, in September 2022, the Institute released the MIT Strategic Action Plan for Belonging, Achievement, and Composition. The plan is a framework to support local and Institute-wide efforts to advance practices, systems and behaviors that promote equity, value differences and establish conditions so that all members of our community can thrive. The Institute Council on Belonging, Achievement, and Composition is charged with supporting the plan’s success and assessing the Institute’s progress.
Graduate fellowships
Raise funds for new endowed graduate fellowships for students from underrepresented groups.
The deans of the five schools and the college together previously committed more than $17 million in endowed funds, and in summer 2020 the provost provided an additional $1 million in expendable fellowship funds. Resource Development continues to work with the schools and college to refine an overall strategy to support new endowed graduate fellowship fundraising for underserved groups. Resource Development has developed tools and is providing guidance to help gift officers make the case for fellowships.
Purchasing and contracting
Increase purchasing/contracting with minority-owned businesses, including Black-led enterprises.
The Supplier Diversity Program in the Office of the Vice President for Finance (VPF) aims to increase MIT’s participation with small businesses and those with historically underrepresented ownership to provide goods and services to the Institute. In 2023, the program launched Purchase with Purpose, a long-term, campus-wide campaign to address the commitments outlined in the MIT Strategic Action Plan for Belonging, Achievement, and Composition and Fast Forward: MIT’s Climate Action Plan for the Decade. Other efforts to advance this priority include the Launchpad, which features minority-owned businesses in the Student Center, and ongoing engagement with local business groups like the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts.