Following up on her Dec. 1, 2016 letter to the MIT community that reaffirmed MIT’s steadfast support for students, Chancellor Cynthia Barnhart today announced the charge and membership of the Working Group on Potential Post-Election Changes to Federal Law and Policy.
The group, which will be chaired by associate professor of history Christopher Capozzola, is responsible for staying informed about any possible revisions to federal law and policy that could impact the student experience, such as changes to current immigration policies. The group will engage with community members from across the Institute to better understand the significance of potential changes to the MIT community, and will assist the senior administration with developing responses to shifts in federal law or policy. The working group’s full charge and membership is available here.
“I am confident that this group will be expertly led by Chris and will position MIT to respond nimbly to any changes in a manner consistent with our core values and mission,” Barnhart says.
“The membership of the working group really reflects MIT at its best, tapping the wide-ranging domain expertise and diverse perspectives of MIT’s students, faculty, and staff,” Capozzola says. “We plan to hear from constituencies from across the Institute, gather timely and reliable information, and think about how MIT can best pursue its mission and support its students in a rapidly changing policy environment.”
The working group plans to hold its first meeting in January and will meet regularly throughout the upcoming spring semester. To receive updates about the group’s work, community members can sign up here.
In the charge, Barnhart thanks working group members for “their dedication to ensuring that MIT remains open and accessible to future generations of talented students, regardless of their backgrounds and regardless of changes in the nation’s capital.”
