The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological research. MIT is one of two private land-grant universities and is also a sea-grant and space-grant university.
Founded by William Barton Rogers in 1861 in response to the increasing industrialization of the United States, the university adopted the German university model and emphasized laboratory instruction from an early date. Its current 168-acre (68.0 ha) campus opened in 1916 and extends over 1 mile (1.6 km) along the northern bank of the Charles River basin. MIT researchers were involved in efforts to develop computers, radar, and inertial guidance in connection with defense research during World War II and the Cold War. In the past 60 years, MIT’s educational programs have expanded beyond the physical sciences and engineering into social sciences like economics, philosophy, linguistics, political science, and management.
MIT enrolled 4,172 undergraduates, 6,048 postgraduate students, and employed 1,008 faculty members in the 2007/08 school year. Its endowment and annual research expenditures are among the largest of any American university. 73 Nobel Laureates, 47 National Medal of Science recipients, and 31 MacArthur Fellows are currently or have previously been affiliated with the university.
The Engineers sponsor 33 sports, most of which compete in the NCAA Division III’s New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference; the Division I rowing programs compete as part of the EARC and EAWRC. While students’ irreverence is widely acknowledged due to the traditions of constructing elaborate pranks and engaging in esoteric activities, the aggregated revenues of companies founded by MIT affiliates would make it the seventeenth largest economy in the world.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Motto: Mens et Manus
Motto in English: Mind and Hand
Established: 1861 (opened 1865)
Type: Private
Endowment: US $10.068 billion
Chancellor: Phillip Clay
President: Susan Hockfield
Provost: L. Rafael Reif
Faculty: 1,008
Students: 10,220
Undergraduates: 4,172
Postgraduates: 6,048
Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts, U.S.
Campus: Urban, 168 acres (68.0 ha)
Nobel Laureates: 73
Colors: Cardinal Red and Steel Gray
Mascot: Beaver
Athletics: Division III (except for Rowing)
33 varsity teams
Affiliations: NEASC, AAU, COFHE, NASULGC
Website: web.mit.edu
Tags: America, American, GNU, Institute, Massachusetts, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, MIT, School, Technology, United States, University, USA