Report of the Task Force on Community Engagement in 2030

To Members of the Faculty:

I am writing to share the “Report of the Task Force on Community Engagement in 2030 Planning on Development of MIT-Owned Property in Kendall Square.” Faculty Chair Sam Allen summarized the principal findings of the report at this afternoon’s faculty meeting.

As you will recall, I formed the Task Force to advise me in two areas: 1) on the proposed development of MIT property in Kendall Square—plans that emerged through the MIT 2030 capital planning framework, and 2) on the most effective ways, over the longer term, to engage the MIT community in the MIT 2030 decision process generally.

This initial report focuses on the development of MIT property in Kendall Square. I would like to thank Chair Tom Kochan, Samuel Allen, Xavier de Souza Briggs, Peter Fisher, Dennis Frenchman, Lorna Gibson, William Wheaton, and Patrick Winston for the intensive effort they have devoted to examining this crucial Institute initiative. Their investment of time and expertise has produced a thoughtful report that provides a road map for how to move forward as a single community positively engaged in making the most of our land assets on the eastern end of the campus.

I wanted to forward the report to you as quickly as possible. I plan to evaluate its findings with President Reif and others and will provide a response with recommended next steps in the coming weeks.

I would again like to express my gratitude to the members of the Task Force for their tremendous service on a matter of great importance for the future of MIT and Cambridge. I believe that our community’s ideas for MIT’s presence in Kendall Square will gel in the near term, allowing the Institute to put forward a plan that will serve the needs of the Institute and the broader Cambridge community, meet our collective aspirations for a sense of identity and place, and add to the area's future vibrancy and continuing success as a center for innovation.

Sincerely,

Chris Kaiser
Provost