May/June 2021Vol. XXXIII No. 5
Editorial

The Role and Reach of the MIT Faculty Newsletter; Thank You

Sally Haslanger, Jonathan A. King, Ceasar McDowell, Robert P. Redwine

Very few university faculties across the nation have an independent newsletter for their expression. Given that MIT plays a somewhat distinctive role in the national and international academic community, we don’t limit our scope to campus issues. The Faculty Newsletter website (https://fnl.mit.edu) is regularly visited by thousands from across the nation and from more than 50 foreign countries. Thus, the recent Special Edition: Women in Biotech was of regional and national significance. We have a long history of attending to the danger of nuclear war, and the current issue carries an article on the new $100 billion Intercontinental Ballistic Missile. FNL articles attempting to address systemic racism don’t pretend it can be eliminated on one campus without broader social transformation. These articles represent an attempt to recognize our responsibilities as broader than our day-to-day faculty tasks. Faculty members are welcome to submit articles that address national or international affairs that they believe deserve the attention of our colleagues.

Thank You

The Faculty Newsletter wishes to offer our sincere thanks and appreciation to two of the tireless MIT personnel who have enabled us to increase dramatically the electronic outreach of the FNL during the Covid-19 pandemic. Special thanks goes to Stacie Slotnick, Director of Communications and Michael Glynn, Senior Business Systems Analyst, in the Human Resources Department. Without their invaluable guidance and assistance, we would have been unable to notify many of you of the publication and offer electronic access to the current FNL issue.

We would also like to thank Susan Goldhor for her most generous financial contribution to the coffers of the Newsletter, in memory of former Editorial Board member Professor Aron Bernstein. In particular during these financially restrictive times, her generosity will allow for the FNL to sponsor programs and events for the edification of the wider MIT community. Thank you so much.