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“At MIT, we believe that public service can and should be as intense, meaningful, and intellectually rigorous as academic work. MIT graduates help convey the philosophy that serving others is not an activity separate from academic and professional pursuits; it is a vital element of a wise, creative life. ”
Institute president L. Rafael Reif shared these thoughts with alumni volunteers during a session at the 2021 Alumni Leadership Conference (ALC), where the MIT Alumni Association (MITAA) officially launched the MIT Alumni Better World Service Initiative. Equal parts networking site, workspace, project aggregator and storytelling platform, this initiative connects MIT alumni working to create a better world through volunteer efforts on climate and sustainability, human health, STEM education, social justice and equality, and more. .
“MIT employees are restless, forever trying to use our minds, hands, and hearts to solve problems big and small,” says Annalisa Weigel ’94, ’95, SM ’00, PhD ’02, the association’s 127th president. “Through our service initiative, we hope to shine a light on graduates who have made tangible impacts on their careers. and voluntarily giving their time and talents to meaningful service projects.”
The initiative enables alumni to communicate with colleagues around the world about their efforts through a digital platform hosted by MITAA. There are three main ways to join. Graduates are invited to submit projects they are working on to increase their visibility and involve others interested in participating. Graduates wishing to be involved in a new volunteering opportunity can research existing projects by cause type to find ways to share their skills and knowledge. Finally, the Association is recruiting “service ambassadors” or volunteers who can work with the network of approximately 143,000 alumni to further support projects.
Encouraging others to take action
While the MIT Alumni Better World Service Initiative is a new initiative, serving the community has been a pillar of the MIT alumni experience since the Institute’s first lectures. The association itself was founded in 1875 “to promote the Institute’s well-being at school and one another.” Then, in 1896, the Society of Class Secretaries became one of MITAA’s first volunteer groups, and efforts to trace the history of classes and keep their members together continue within the pages of this publication today.
While the institute has benefited from a significant number of advocates who have served as volunteers, more than 27,000 alumni and fellows over the lifetime of the MIT Better World Campaign, the new initiative focuses on the world beyond campus. (See the sidebar to the right for recent examples of working alumni.) The tradition will be further honored this spring when the association awards the MIT Alumni Better World Service Award to an individual whose service efforts have inspired their alumni peers.
With the launch of the MIT Alumni Better World Service Initiative, MITAA hopes that examples of excellence will encourage others to share, connect, and increase their individual contributions, and will unite forces for greater impact.
“The association’s ultimate vision is to ‘involve and inspire the global MIT community to make a better world’,” says Whitney T. Espich, CEO of the association. “If we are to fulfill this promise, we need to tap into all energy points, and that includes taking into account the exponential power of our graduates to serve others. Working together as students, MIT alumni can continue to be a force multiplier for good.”
Service Overview
The tradition of serving others continues throughout the history of the MIT alumni community. Some current examples:
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