The Stephen A. Schwarzman Department of Computer Science at MIT recently celebrated a milestone by celebrating the completion and inauguration of its up-to-date building on Vassar Street.
The ceremony, attended by members of the MIT community, distinguished guests, and supporters, provided an opportunity to reflect on the transformational gift that initiated the largest institutional change in MIT in more than 70 years. The gift, given by Stephen A. Schwarzman, chairman, CEO, and cofounder of Blackstone, one of the world’s largest alternative investment firms, was the foundation for the college.
MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing Building dedicated
MIT President Sally Kornbluth told the audience that “the success of the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing is a testament to Steve’s vision.” She said the up-to-date building — home to 50 computer science research groups — will foster an extraordinary convergence of knowledge and cross-pollination of ideas. “The College will help MIT direct this expertise toward the greatest challenges facing humanity today,” she added, “from the health of our species and our planet to the social, economic, and ethical implications of new technologies.”
Expressing gratitude for the opportunity to work with MIT, Schwarzman noted, “There aren’t many opportunities in life to play a small part in changing the course of one of the greatest technologies that will impact people.”
Schwarzman said his motivation to support the college stemmed in part from a trip to China, where he witnessed increased investment in AI. He was concerned that he wasn’t seeing the same level of development in the United States and wanted to make sure the country was at the forefront of AI. He also spoke about the importance of developing AI while prioritizing ethical issues to mitigate potential risks.
He described his involvement in college as “the greatest adventure” and shared how much he enjoyed “meeting the fascinating people at MIT and learning about what you do here and how you think.” He added, “You are really making a huge difference for the good of society.”
Reflecting on the thought process during his tenure that culminated in the conception of the college, MIT President Emeritus L. Rafael Reif recounted the conversations he had about the idea with Schwarzman, whom he called “the perfect partner.” He detailed their joint efforts to transform the vision into a material reality and noted Schwarzman’s “uncanny ability to look at what seems like a hopelessly complex situation and quickly extract the essence from it.”
After nearly a year of discussions with Schwarzman and members of MIT’s leadership and faculty, in October 2018 the institute announced the establishment of the MIT Stephen A. Schwarzman College of Computing.
To honor Schwarzman’s pivotal role in envisioning the college, Reif presented him with two gifts: an early concept sketch of the building by the architects and a photograph of the building’s lobby taken shortly after it opened in tardy January. “Thank you, Steve, for making all of this possible,” Reif said.
Dan Huttenlocher, appointed in 2019 as the first dean of the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing and the Henry Ellis Warren Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, opened the ceremony and spoke of the building as a physical embodiment of the college’s three-fold mission: promoting cutting-edge computing across MIT’s disciplines; strengthening leadership in fundamental computer science and artificial intelligence; and advancing the social, ethical, and political dimensions of computing.
He also expressed his appreciation to all those who devoted countless hours to planning, designing and building Building 45key partners include: MIT Campus Construction and Campus Planning; Skidmore, Owings & Merrill; and Suffolk Construction.
“It gives me great satisfaction and pride to see the vibrant activity of MIT students, researchers, faculty, and staff who spend time in this building,” Huttenlocher said. “It’s truly amazing to see this building come alive and become a resource for so many people on and off the MIT campus.”
In addition, Huttenlocher thanked Anantha Chandrakasan, MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer, dean of the School of Engineering, and Vannevar Bush Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, for his early involvement in the school, and Asu Ozdaglar, MIT’s Schwarzman Associate Dean of Computer Science and head of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, for her leadership throughout the school’s development.