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Anonymous Donor Gives $140 Million to MIT
Someone wealthy who wishes to remain anonymous has committed to donate $140 million for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to spend as it sees fit.
The money will support MIT's educational and research mission, according to an MIT announcement. The contribution from an alumnus allows MIT "to invest in daring, high-risk ideas; address some of the world's most urgent challenges; and sustain support for students, faculty and the physical campus," according to MIT News, an online publication of the university.
“No one has ever made it through life without someone else's help," the donor said in an anonymous statement.
The donor said she or he received "generous financial aid" from MIT and was "extremely appreciative of all the ways that MIT has shaped me.”
“I am also inspired by MIT's vision in tackling global challenges, and I trust its leadership to take bold steps to make the world a better place. I am blessed to be able to give back to the Institute so other students can experience what I did, and so that the institute can continue to excel in groundbreaking achievements," the donor continued. "I hope this gift inspires others to give back to MIT and to pay it forward to the society that we all share.”
MIT President L. Rafael Reif called the donation “the vital fuel that helps big ideas take off,” MIT News reported. “This remarkable gift will magnify our strength in education, research and innovation and help foster transformative discoveries, inventions and solutions to conquer new frontiers and build a better world. We are honored by the expression of confidence this donor has shown in MIT's capacity for impact, and we are grateful for this visionary support.”
The gift will be targeted to innovative thinking that MIT calls one of its hallmarks. "Unrestricted dollars" can go toward funding initiatives that "may be too risky to qualify for backing from traditional sources."
The donation could fund laboratories, staff support and equipment that would push discoveries, for example, in Alzheimer's disease treatments. Another area where this funding could be applied, MIT said, is in physics, "where MIT faculty have played a primary role in detecting the largest collection of antimatter particles recorded in space — helping to advance our fundamental knowledge about the universe."
MIT says it is "one of five colleges and universities in the United States that provide all undergraduate financial aid based on need," meaning if you are admitted to the school on merit, academics or sport, the institution will fund you.
“In order to take on the world's most pressing problems, we need the very best faculty and the brightest students working in the finest facilities. Unrestricted funds are critical in providing scholarship aid for our undergraduates, startup funds for junior faculty members, and support for campus renewal,” said Israel Ruiz, MIT’s executive vice president and treasurer. “The demand for unrestricted dollars to enable MIT to continue to push the boundaries of knowledge is never fulfilled, and we are grateful to donors at all levels who signal their trust and belief in MIT with these kinds of gifts.”
Today's announcement comes as MIT enters the second year of the public phase of its $5 billion Campaign for a Better World, which seeks to advance the institute's work on some of humanity's toughest challenges. As of June 1, MIT has raised $3.4 billion toward the campaign goal, with gifts coming from more than 87,000 alumni and friends.
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Trump administration opens antisemitism inquiries at 5 colleges, including Columbia and Berkeley
The Trump administration is opening new investigations into allegations of antisemitism at five U.S. universities including Columbia and the University of California, Berkeley, the Education Department announced Monday.
It's part of President Donald Trump's promise to take a tougher stance against campus antisemitism and deal out harsher penalties than the Biden administration, which settled a flurry of cases with universities in its final weeks. It comes the same day the Justice Department announced a new task force to root out antisemitism on college campuses.
In an order signed last week, Trump called for aggressive action to fight anti-Jewish bias on campuses, including the deportation of foreign students who have participated in pro-Palestinian protests.
Along with Columbia and Berkeley, the department is now investigating the University of Minnesota, Northwestern University and Portland State University. The cases were opened using the department's power to launch its own civil rights reviews, unlike the majority of investigations, which stem from complaints.
Messages seeking comment were left with all five universities.
A statement from the Education Department criticized colleges for tolerating antisemitism after Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and a wave of pro-Palestinian protests that followed. It also criticized the Biden administration for negotiating "toothless" resolutions that failed to hold schools accountable.
"Today, the Department is putting universities, colleges, and K-12 schools on notice: this administration will not tolerate continued institutional indifference to the wellbeing of Jewish students on American campuses," said Craig Trainor, the agency's acting assistant secretary for civil rights.
The department didn't provide details about the inquiries or how it decided which schools are being targeted. Presidents of Columbia and Northwestern were among those called to testify on Capitol Hill last year as Republicans sought accountability for allegations of antisemitism. The hearings contributed to the resignation of multiple university presidents, including Columbia's Minouche Shafik.
An October report from House Republicans accused Columbia of failing to punish pro-Palestinian students who took over a campus building, and it called Northwestern's negotiations with student protesters a "stunning capitulation."
House Republicans applauded the new investigations. Representative Tim Walberg, chair of the Education and Workforce Committee, said he was "glad that we finally have an administration who is taking action to protect Jewish students."
Trump's order also calls for a full review of antisemitism complaints filed with the Education Department since Oct. 7, 2023, including pending and resolved cases from the Biden administration. It encourages the Justice Department to take action to enforce civil rights laws.
Last week's order drew backlash from civil rights groups who said it violated First Amendment rights that protect political speech.
The new task force announced Monday includes the Justice and Education departments along with Health and Human Services.
"The Department takes seriously our responsibility to eradicate this hatred wherever it is found," said Leo Terrell, assistant attorney general for civil rights. "The Task Force to Combat Anti-Semitism is the first step in giving life to President Trump's renewed commitment to ending anti-Semitism in our schools."
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