Volunteers Celebrate MIT at ALC 2017

A near-record 645 MIT volunteers—and one well-dressed beaver—visited campus last month for the 2017 MIT Alumni Leadership Conference. The annual conference, organized by the MIT Alumni Association, featured keynotes from MIT faculty, leadership, and students, and two full days of brainstorming, networking, and reconnecting with the Institute.

To learn more about ALC 2017, read the recap below and then jump to the ALC website for a photo gallery and access to conference resources. Videos from ALC will be added shortly. 

This year’s conference was packed with more than 25 breakout sessions that focused on specific volunteer roles, like fundraising and reunion planning, and skills for all volunteers, such as email and social media marketing. [Visit the ALC Resources page to download presentations from this year’s sessions.]

The 2017 keynotes covered topics including the future of cities, public service, and residential life on campus. Featured speakers included Executive Vice President and Treasurer Israel Ruiz SM ’01; Vice President for Student Life Suzy M. Nelson; Priscilla King Gray Public Service Center Senior Director Kate Trimble and a panel of undergraduate and graduate student volunteers; and faculty from MIT’s Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Plus, Alumni Association President Hyun-A Park ’83, MCP ’85 offered attendees a recap of Association activities and events in 2016–2017.

As always, ALC’s cornerstone event, the Leadership Awards Celebration, honored MIT’s most dedicated volunteers during a festive reception in Kendall Square. Held on Friday evening this year, the awards celebration honored more than 50 alumni from more than 30 graduating class years, ranging from 1961–2016. The party also featured a formal guest appearance by a tuxedo-clad Tim the Beaver.

Four MIT alumni were presented with, the highest honor the Alumni Association bestows upon any alumni volunteer, the Bronze Beaver Award: Stephen D. Baker ’84, MArch ’88; James S. Banks ’76; MIT Alumni Association Board and MIT Corporation member Nicolas E. Chammas SM ’87; and Stacey T. Nakamura ’80.

And the awards celebration wasn’t the only appearance of Tim the Beaver during the weekend. Attendees who completed their ALC Passport, stamped with events they attended throughout the weekend, earned a pint-sized Tim as a parting gift during the closing reception at the List Visual Arts Center.

Tiny Tims for everybody!! #MITALC

A post shared by tericee (@mitsigma) on Sep 16, 2017 at 4:28pm PDT

To check out more photos and video from this year’s ALC, search the hashtag #MITALC on Twitter and Instagram. Save the date for next year’s Alumni Leadership Conference: Sept. 21-22, 2018!