Former MIT President Lectures on
Public Value of Research Universities

March 5, 2009

By Henry DeVries

Charles Vest

Former Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) President Charles Vest will speak on “The Public Value of a 21st Century Research University” at 7 pm March 19 at the University of California San Diego Institute of the Americas Copley Auditorium. The lecture is free and open to the public with no tickets or reservations required.

Vest is President Emeritus of MIT, President of the National Academy of Engineering, and Vice Chair of the National Research Council, the principal operating arm of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering. He is also a past and present member of many governmental task forces and advisory committees that have helped shape national and international policies on research, science, education, and national security.

During his 14 year tenure as president of MIT, Vest added a strong international dimension to education and research programs, strengthened relations with industry, increased racial and cultural diversity, and rebuilt public understanding and support for higher education and research. He has written two books on higher education, “Pursuing the Endless Frontier: Essays on MIT” and “The Role of Research Universities.”

In his latest capacity Vest chaired the President’s Advisory Committee on the Redesign of the Space Station, the U.S. Department of Energy Task Force on the Future of Science Programs, served as a member of the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology, is vice chair of the Council on Competitiveness, and immediate past chair of the Association of American Universities.

Vest earned his Ph.D. from the University of Michigan and is a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at MIT.

The event is presented by The Daniel Yankelovich Chair in Social Thought, the UC San Diego Department of Sociology, and the Helen Edison Lecture Series.

In accordance with a major gift from a late philanthropist, the Helen Edison Lecture Series presents ongoing free public lectures on issues that advance humanitarian purposes and objectives. Attended annually by thousands, speakers include former Vice President Al Gore,  Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, former Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara, Nobel Prize in Literature winner Toni Morrison and Hispanic dramatist Luis Valdez, just to name a few.

Media Contact: Henry DeVries, 858-534-9955 or 619-540-3031