Update from the dean, and get involved

Dear Graduate Students,

I hope you had a wonderful start to the academic year! I would like to introduce myself as the new Dean for Graduate Education. This letter provides me with the opportunity to update you on a few topics of interest, to highlight some of the current and upcoming ODGE resources and initiatives, and to describe opportunities for how to get involved.

The start of a great year
I had the pleasure of meeting many of you at the Fall 2010 Graduate Orientation Events. This was the largest Orientation ever at MIT, impeccably organized by the Graduate Student Council. I have to say, the incoming class of graduate students is just amazing! During our last admissions cycle, we had the highest number of graduate applicants (22,139) and the most competitive admission rate (15%) in the entire history of MIT. The yield (percentage of students enrolling from those admitted) was also substantial (62%). Our 2,145 new graduate students hail from more than 77 countries and every state in the union, bringing the total graduate student population to 6,267.

In support of the student body
The ODGE is an Institute-wide office that fosters academic excellence and quality of life and includes the Dean's headquarters, the International Students Office (ISO), and the Graduate Student Council (GSC). The Dean's office administers graduate fellowships, organizes and finances activities that build graduate student community, promotes a diverse student body, and coordinates programs for professional and personal development, advising and mentoring. The ISO assists international students in maintaining their legal status in the US, provides support for their dependents, and promotes interaction with the MIT community at large. The Dean's office and the ISO work hand in hand with the GSC to ensure a strong partnership between students and administrators that advances the needs of all.

Ongoing excellence and new initiatives
This year's incoming class enhances an already rich breadth of academics, research, and community involvement. The National Research Council recently released their rankings of United States doctoral programs, and once again the results reflected MIT's outstanding record. To showcase some of your outstanding research, the ODGE has begun recording short video profiles of individual graduate students and their accomplishments, which will be published on our news page. Other new initiatives include: climate assessment with the goal of enhancing diversity; developing academic integrity training; and the creation of a Professional Development Web Portal containing Institute-wide audio and video content.

Get involved!
In addition to their academic brilliance, MIT graduate students make time to participate in the broader community. Here are just a few ways to get involved:

• Check out what's new and find resources on the student life and learning page
• Participate in student government as a residential or departmental representative
• Develop a community-building proposal for the Graduate Student Life Grants (deadline: January 19, 2011)
• Make the Career Fair or Grad Gala, which are both student-run and historically very successful, even better
• Submit a Lobby 7 design or another idea to celebrate MIT's 150th birthday
• Submit a graduate news item or grad profile suggestion for the ODGE news and video page (Email: gradnews [at] mit.edu)
• Join a faculty committee as a student representative next year
• Follow @MITstudents on Twitter
• Submit ideas and thoughts to my comment box anytime, I really want to hear from you!

I hope that you continue to take advantage of the many opportunities for learning and to find new ways to engage with your peers and administrators. I foresee an exciting year ahead and look forward to working with you as your Dean.

Sincerely,

Christine Ortiz
Dean for Graduate Education
Professor of Materials Science and Engineering