Chancellor Melissa Nobles, the Class of 1922 Professor of Political Science, has been a member of the MIT faculty since 1995. Before being appointed chancellor in 2021, she served as the Kenan Sahin Dean of the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) and as head of the Department of Political Science. As chancellor, she oversees more than 60 interconnected offices that support undergraduate and graduate students.

How have your previous roles at MIT shaped your goals as chancellor?

The perspectives I gained from my time at SHASS are invaluable and inform a great deal of my work as chancellor. I was fortunate to work with wonderful faculty, collaborate with leaders across disciplines, and partner with passionate and experienced administrators. Most of all, I came to know some of the most inspiring students anywhere in the world. 

For our students to succeed during and after their time here on campus, they must be free to explore all that the Institute has to offer and feel supported and encouraged to do so. That is the basis of our approach to educating the whole student. The importance of fostering well-being and providing the tools for our students to thrive is not new, but I believe we have a wonderful opportunity to be even more purposeful in these efforts through our approach to the “whole student” experience.  

What are the hallmarks of the whole student experience and why are they important?

There are three key elements of the whole student experience that inform our work: supporting academic success, fostering community and well-being, and cultivating personal and intellectual growth. We want students to have every opportunity to gain a deeper understanding of themselves and the world around them. By helping students navigate what it means to drink from the proverbial firehose, we can help them uncover new passions and embrace new experiences, all while learning how to care for themselves physically, mentally, and emotionally.

How does philanthropic support further this work, and what role do planned gifts play?

My top priority is to help secure enhanced support for the key areas of our approach to educating the whole student, and planned gifts play an integral role. All types of planned gifts, most notably bequests, have historically served as significant sources of funding for both scholarships and fellowships. Scholarships remain a fundamental need across the Institute, with roughly 58% of undergraduates having benefitted from such support last year. Furthermore, since planned gifts can be directed to whatever area of the Institute is most important to the donor, they can support a wide variety of programmatic applications under the umbrella of all-things student, from financial aid to residential life. 

Another critical element of our work is securing funding for capital projects. We must create and maintain the physical spaces where our students can learn, explore, socialize, and grow. The East Campus residence, now under a multiyear renovation, and the new DAPER Sports Performance Center are two examples of wonderful opportunities for alumni and friends to have a lasting impact on students and the broader MIT community through philanthropic support. Outright gifts made through the Office of Gift Planning such as gifts of appreciated stock, IRA distributions, and grants from donor-advised funds are key to supporting these vital capital projects. 

I welcome the opportunity to connect with anyone interested in learning more about the work of my office, our approach to the whole student experience, or opportunities to support such efforts. I cannot think of more meaningful or enduring options for legacy giving and estate planning than supporting, and thus ensuring, the long-term sustainability of the MIT student experience. 

Find out more about the initiatives of the Chancellor’s Office at chancellor.mit.edu.