Charles Vest—
Alumnus Retires from MIT Presidency
By Kathy Deweese
Ponder the unthinkable. Question the status quo. Live in the world as well as in your own nation. Dream of a better future, but contribute to the present. Share your talents. Commune with all people. Be steady friends and bold companions. Address the truly important issues of your times. Be honest in all that you do.
During his 14 years as president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), this was the charge Dr. Charles M. Vest presented to each graduating class. These words may seem surprising coming from an engineer who led a school whose reputation is based on excellence in pure science and research. However, these words reflect the world view of someone respected as both a scientist and as a philosopher.
Charles Vest began his path to greatness at West Virginia University. A native of Morgantown, he earned a BS degree in mechanical engineering from WVU in 1963. After earning his MS and PhD degrees from the University of Michigan, he joined their faculty as an associate professor of mechanical engineering. His posts at Michigan included associate dean for academic affairs, dean of the college of engineering, and provost. He was appointed president of MIT in 1990.
The tenure of Dr. Vest included a visionary understanding of what the true role of America’s research universities should be. Under his leadership, MIT emphasized enhancing racial and cultural diversity, enriching undergraduate education, and developing stronger relationships with industry. A strong advocate of bringing education and research issues into the public spotlight, Dr. Vest devoted time and energy to strengthening national policy on science, engineering, and education.
Because of his outstanding reputation, Dr. Vest served on the President’s Committee of Advisors on Science and Technology in both the Clinton and Bush administrations, and chaired the President’s Advisory Committee on the Redesign of the Space Station and the U.S. Department of Energy Task Force on the Future of Science Programs. He also served on the National Research Council Board on Engineering Education and the Council of Competitiveness, and chaired the Association of American Universities.
Charles Vest’s belief in the ability of science and education to positively affect the world began at a young age; he recalls watching a television report in the 1950s where Dr. Tom Dooley, an American medical doctor serving destitute people in Asia, shocked the audience by actually showing a starving child with a distended belly. Dr. Dooley calmly said that when he looked at this horrifying sight, he knew he had the knowledge and skill to help the boy.
Dr. Vest never forgot that statement, and applied it to his future career. He believes that “Through its own work, and especially through the lives and works of its graduates, a university can strive to make the world well.”
In his last annual report as president of MIT, Dr. Vest reflected on the nature of higher education, stating that “Universities are about change. They look backward to learn and preserve the lessons of the past; they are engaged in the affairs of the present; and they look forward to shape and invent the future.” Because of this understanding, he has maintained a strong link to his own past, and continues to serve WVU and West Virginia.
As a guest speaker at the West Virginia Venture Connection inaugural celebration in May 2004, he shared his expertise on the nature of entrepreneurship and how it can be encouraged in the state. Dr. Vest serves on the board of directors of the Blanchette Rockefeller Neurosciences Institute, along with WVU President David C. Hardesty Jr. In 1995, Dr. Vest participated in President Hardesty’s inauguration at WVU, and they are both members of the Council on Competitiveness.
President Hardesty noted that “Charles Vest may have been the most respected college president in America.”
In recognition of his accomplishments and his dedication to his alma mater, Charles Vest was inducted into WVU’s Academy of Distinguished Alumni in 1991.
While he retired earlier this year as MIT’s president, his belief in the ability of a university to be a positive force remains unaltered. His recently published book, Pursuing the Endless Frontier: Essays on MIT and the Role of Research Universities, reflects this optimism.
Dr. Vest always concluded his remarks at MIT commencement by saying “Men and women of MIT, I wish you Godspeed and the very best of good fortune.” We certainly wish the same for him.