Dean Daniel Hastings to step down

To Members of the MIT Community,

I am writing to inform you that after more than seven years of exemplary service, Daniel Hastings has announced his plans to step down as Dean for Undergraduate Education, effective July 1, 2013. Dan has provided great leadership for DUE: streamlining its operations, guiding it through the challenges of the budget crisis of 2008-2009, initiating and supporting educational experiments in teaching and learning, leading efforts to enhance mentoring and advising processes, establishing the global office and creating a number of global opportunities for students, and championing the diversity of our student community. I greatly appreciate Dan's thoughtful leadership in guiding and integrating the many units of DUE – including Admissions, the Office of Educational Innovation and Technology, the Office of Faculty Support, Global Education and Career Development, the Office of Minority Education, the Office of the Registrar, ROTC, Student Financial Services, the Teaching and Learning Laboratory, and the Office of Undergraduate Advising and Academic Programming – so successfully. I am confident that the next Dean will be able to build on Dan's successes in moving DUE forward.

I will be forming a search committee over the next few weeks, and charging it with recommending a list of candidates for the next Dean. The composition of the committee will be announced once it is determined, and I am sure that committee members will welcome input from the community. I would also welcome suggestions from the community on expectations for the next Dean; please send comments or suggestions to due-search@mit.edu.

Dan will be taking a well-deserved sabbatical next year, before returning to his role as a faculty member in Aero/Astro and ESD. I look forward to celebrating Dan's achievements with him and his colleagues during the Spring term, and we wish him good luck as he plans the next stage of his career.

Sincerely,

Eric Grimson
Chancellor
Bernard Gordon Professor of Medical Engineering, EECS, MIT