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Profiles in generosity

Alan J. Wilson ’82

Los Angeles, California
February 27, 2019

Responsibility, collaboration, empathy—these are a few skills Alan Wilson, a portfolio manager at Capital Group, recalls developing while living in undergraduate student housing at MIT. Now Wilson has made a gift to MIT’s Division of Student Life (DSL), hoping to help meet present and future needs of programs that have a direct impact on students.

The importance of residential life. Wilson believes that skills learned outside the classroom or lab can be just as important as academics. “Student life is MIT’s vehicle for nurturing the development of that other part of the person,” he says. “I think DSL’s vision and approach are just terrific.” He names cultivating leadership skills and creating a life balance as vital DSL goals.

Advocating for student leadership. Wilson’s contribution supports key student leadership initiatives, such as the expansion of the Resident Peer Mentor program, and flexible funding for new and existing programs. “Mentorship happens naturally at MIT,” he says, “but by institutionalizing these kinds of programs, you help set the expectation that we’re going to help each other navigate the journey.”

Building a better world. “MIT has been the foundation for most of the things I have achieved in life,” Wilson says. “I have watched it take some of the most talented minds on the planet and nurture their problem-­solving acumen. My hope is that my support of student-life programming will strengthen MIT’s resources that encourage the development of the rest of the skill set needed to make a difference in the world.”

Help MIT build a better world. 
For more information, contact David Woodruff: 617.253.3990; daw@mit.edu.
Or visit giving.mit.edu.

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