A new staff member of MIT, reflecting on the alumni association as it reaches its 150th anniversary, has praised the talent and work ethic of MIT graduates in fostering a unique entrepreneurial spirit that is both competitive and collaborative in pursuit of creative solutions to problems.
The university’s alumni skew towards rigorous thinking, deep analysis, and a desire to make a real-world impact, and signal this dedication via the Brass Rats which signify their membership.
Now, the association represents 149,000 members, a huge increase from the 84 who founded it, and the culture of those individuals continues to permeate the organisation.
Today, the role of alumni in terms of promoting the university is even more important as the nation’s security, prosperity, health and quality of life increasingly depend on the work undertaken at MIT.