Tech Reunions Returns to Campus for Historic Celebration

After two years of online reunion celebrations due to the Covid-19 pandemic, MIT welcomed back almost 10,000 alumni and guests to celebrate the anniversary of their graduation from the Institute. The festivities included an on-campus graduation celebration for the classes of 2020 and 2021, whose Commencement ceremonies were held online during the pandemic. In addition to those classes in milestone reunion years, the 50th and 25th reunion classes from the last two years were also invited back to celebrate.  

The excitement on campus was palpable—alumni rejoiced at reconnecting over the weekend as they enjoyed touring the campus, learning from MIT faculty and fellow graduates at the Tech Day program, connecting with classmates at class events, and dancing the night away at Toast to Tech.

A sampling of photos captured the energy of the weekend. To see the full photo galleries, visit the Tech Reunions slideshow.  

In celebration of their 50th reunions, alumni from the classes of 1970, 1971, and 1972 led Friday’s traditional Commencement procession into Killian Court. MIT Alumni Association President Annalisa Weigel ’94, ’95, SM ’00, PhD ’02 served as the chief marshal, and the Commencement exercises included a keynote address from Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala MCP ’78, PhD ’81, director-general of the World Trade Organization.

“The world needs your smarts, your skills, your adaptability, and the great training you have received here at MIT,” Okonjo-Iweala told the Commencement audience. “The world needs you for innovation, for policymaking, for connecting the dots so that implementation can actually happen.” 

Tech Night at Pops, the all-MIT performance at Boston Symphony Hall, marked its 124th year with soloist Sitan Chen PhD ’21. Learn why Chen says that playing classical music is an intellectual challenge. 

The celebration continued at the Pops Encore Party, and other Friday evening events included class dinners, an MIT10 reception, and the Classes of 2020 and 2021 Senior Ball. 

This annual Technology Day program featured a morning session on research in the field of longevity and innovation and an afternoon session celebrating economics. Explore all the Technology Day lectures.  

The event also featured the first recognition of the Better World Service Award, given to Reinier Beeuwkes ’67 and Dheera Ananthakrishnan ’90. The newly-created Service Award honors alumni who have showed the ability, passion, and unwavering commitment for working wisely, creatively, and effectively to advance the MIT ideal of the betterment of humankind (building a better world). Learn more about the award recipients.

Throughout the reunions weekend, alumni enjoyed revisiting the campus, connecting with old friends at class events, and dancing the night away at the Multicultural Fest and Toast to Tech. Other dedicated events included the Association of MIT Alumnae scarf ceremony as part of the 50th reunion celebration, a 25th reunion lobster bake, and class specific TIMtalk discussions.

Relive the memories—or see what you missed—in the Tech Reunions slideshow.