Submitted on behalf of Administrative Council, Discussion Table 20
Brainstorm question - What costs does MIT guarantee and what do we cut when faced with hard choices?

What core should MIT keep?
Keep on campus experience; living groups
Faculty are the core element and can’t be taken away. They make MIT what it is. Interactions between students and faculty are critical.

Economy of space:
How can space be used more efficiently?
What space is needed and what can be repurposed?
More multi-media classrooms
More space for labs if students aren’t attending classes as much
Some older buildings could be eliminated without as much need to replace them if less space is needed.

Need to improve productivity with technology etc. Don’t move students (to classrooms), but use dorms for learning space.

Assignable class time has been shrinking on campus. Early morning classes and Friday classes are not popular and are becoming less common.

Industries are being brought to Cambridge. Companies could use MIT for space, and pay for it.

Space economy – costs are not visible. There is no incentive to shrink or optimize space when faculty, staff, and students don’t see the direct cost of space and the savings by reducing the need for space. Space use costs are primarily absorbed by the Institute and are not charged directly to department accounts. Stanford is charging for space use. This makes it real.

How do we shift costs to use resources for on-line and new forms of teaching? Costs may not be reduced, but shifted to be used more efficiently.