This fall, about 80 more freshmen than usual will begin drinking from the fire hose at MIT. Thanks to a $24 million gift from an alumnus, the Institute will be able to expand its undergraduate student body to 4,500 students, about 250 more than are enrolled today.
“We are losing the opportunity to train many qualified and bright minds due to MIT’s undergraduate capacity constraints,” says Fariborz Maseeh, ScD ‘90, who made the donation to expand access to an MIT education. “Our world and especially our nation need more MIT graduates.”
In recognition of the gift from Maseeh and his philanthropic company, the Massiah Foundation, Building W1 will be renamed Fariborz Maseeh Hall. (The dormitory was known as Ashdown House until 2008, when it closed for renovations and NW35 became Ashdown.) W1, which opened in 1901 as a grand hotel at what is now the corner of Mass. Ave. and Memorial Drive, is currently undergoing extensive renovations.
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