This site will look much better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.

Reunion Gift Campaign Results

Post-Reunion Special Report
(from the 25th Reunion Gift Co-Chairs)

Dear Classmates,

It is our profound pleasure to report the results of our 25th Reunion Gift Campaign. Your contributions—in our reunion year and every year—are important to new generations of students. If you returned to campus for Tech Reunions, you saw that MIT not only continues to expand academic horizons, but strives to enhance the overall student experience through innovations inside and outside the classroom. Whether through UROP or a stroll down the student "street" in the Stata Center, students increasingly find MIT a resource for social and personal growth.

At the heart of the Institute reside the ideals that we and other alumni share and uphold: a commitment to learning; a commitment to creating opportunities for all students regardless of financial circumstances; and a commitment to remaining on the cutting edge of science and technology in ways that enable MIT students and alumni to have a meaningful impact in the world.

As alumni, we give back to MIT because we know that we're making a difference at both the micro and macro levels. Our contributions influence one student at a time, but also ultimately have an impact upon the world at large. Please join us in recognizing all the members of our class who chose to make a difference through their generosity during our 25th Reunion.

Finally, we would like to offer special thanks to our classmates who served on our 25th Reunion and Reunion Gift Committees. Their efforts helped make our class milestone an exceptional one.

With appreciation,

A Message From President Susan Hockfield

In June, over 3,300 people came back to campus for Tech Reunions. It was my honor to accept the reunion gifts presented by each class.

We are grateful to all of you whose generosity helps MIT stay at the forefront of education and innovation. Your support and participation year after year benefit not only MIT and its students, but also the global community where MIT alumni share their knowledge and talents.

You are true ambassadors of MIT!

Sincerely yours,

Susan Hockfield

Class Project

This past year Dana Najjar '09, and Maricela Delgadillo '08, were named class scholars for the 2005-2006 academic year. Because of your past and ongoing support for the Class of 1981 Student Aid Fund, students like Dana and Marciella have had the opportunity to enjoy the best experiences and education that MIT can offer. Whether conducting cutting-edge research or contributing to their community, the students who receive our class scholarship each year are making a difference in the world.

The Class of 1981 Student Aid Fund :

There's all sorts of ways to give money to MIT.

The easiest way is to use the Online Gift Form...

Q: How much was our Reunion Gift?

A: The 1981 Class Reunion Gift was $3,185,728 (as of 2006-06-20). 

Q: How is the Reunion Gift calculated?

A: For the 25th (and 40th, and 50th reunion-year classes), what counts are gifts made during the five fiscal years prior to Tech Day (June 10, 2006) of reunion, and pledges made by that date and payable over five years following reunion.  The 25th Reunion Class gift includes all outright gifts, matching gifts, in-kind contribution, cross credited gifts and pledges made by June 30, 2006. This total also includes future pledge payment made through June 30, 2011. Further clarification is here. ANY gift made by any member of the class to ANY designation will be counted in the class reunion gift.

Q: What are other Class Gifts (besides the Reunion Gift)?

A: There are several:

• One of our earliest class gifts (according to Eric Sklar) was a barbecue area near the old outdoor ice rink. Which isn't there anymore. Neither the barbecue area, nor the outdoor rink.
• Another class gift was the Class of 1981 - Classroom. The 1981 Classroom Renovation fund (3704100) is for renovations of existing classrooms. Originally, the "Class of '81 Classroom" was Room 10-280, but when 10-280 was renovated to become the office of the Associate Provost for the Arts, the "Class of '81 Classroom" (and the associated plaque) was moved to Room 14N-112, the "Humanities Seminar Room." According to the Assistant to the Provost for Space Planning, "The thinking behind relocating the plaque to 14N-112 was to associate it with a seminar room of equal stature - nice finishes and excellent view similar to that of 10-280." The "excellent view" is that of McDermott Court (in front of the Green Building), with Alexander Calder's monumental sculpture "The Big Sail" in the foreground.
• A continuing Class Gift is the "Class of 1981 Student Financial Aid Fund" (3386300), which endows an undergraduate student aid fund, and which was created in October 1985. The Class of '81 officers receive annual letters announcing the class scholars for each year, along with a brief biographical background of these students. Here's short bios of our two Class Scholars for this year (see the 4th paragraph of (former) Class President Marc Chelemer's letter to the Class, down at the bottom of the page). Here's the Stewardship Acknowledgment letters for the "Class of 1981 Student Financial Aid Fund" for Fiscal Year 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, and 2006.

The Alumni Association recommends that classes collected dues once every five years. So it looks like we're off the hook until 2011...

Q: What's the statistical breakdown of our giving?

A: The number of donors who gave at a certain gift level during the five-year period to date is...

This does not include non-alumni gifts to the class, and does not include a few pending pledges.

Q: How are we doing compared to other MIT classes?

A: This is how the reunion classes are doing. Results for reunion classes are calculated differently, depending if they are a one-year or five-year campaign.

Q: How are we doing compared to other schools?

A: MIT does not necessarily calculate reunion gifts (and giving in general) the same way as other schools, so it's hard to compare how we are doing versus other schools. Also, not all schools publicize "alumni giving" numbers.