ICEO reception and update on search

To the members of the MIT community,

I invite you to join me for a reception honoring Professor Ed Bertschinger, who stepped down earlier this year as MIT's first Institute Community and Equity Officer (ICEO):

President Reif established the ICEO position in 2013 to strengthen, unite, and serve the entire Institute community. For the last five years, Ed has done just that. He has fostered critical campus dialogue about equity and inclusion; improved the quality and availability of data on diversity at MIT; and helped develop a long-term engagement between the MIT administration and multiple student groups, as well as other members of the MIT community.

Ed's vision of inclusive excellence has honored our deepest values, and his leadership has helped to make a better MIT. I hope you will stop by next Friday to express your appreciation for Ed’s work over the past five years.

Ed leaves big shoes to fill, and I have spent the past few months meeting with many members of our community to solicit input regarding a successor. As I continue to weigh the excellent advice I have received, I am delighted to announce that Alyce Johnson, the Manager of Staff Diversity and Inclusion in MIT Human Resources, has agreed to serve as Interim ICEO.

Effective immediately, Alyce will begin work with members of the ICEO staff. Their team will continue to be a resource for our community, and will organize longstanding programs such as the MLK Scholars and Community Dialogues.

Please join me in thanking Ed for his service as the inaugural ICEO, and in thanking Alyce for graciously offering to step into this important role on an interim basis.

Sincerely,

Martin A. Schmidt, Provost