As the first woman president of MIT, Hockfield presided over significant strides in hiring and promotion of women scientists and engineers after a faculty report brought national attention to inequity in ...]]>

MIT President Susan Hockfield announced she would leave the position she has held for more than seven years once a new president takes office.

As the first woman president of MIT, Hockfield presided over significant strides in hiring and promotion of women scientists and engineers after a faculty report brought national attention to inequity in campus. Among students, the MIT Class of 2015 will be 45% women.

As the first life scientist to lead MIT, she championed the idea of life scientists and engineers working together toward breakthroughs in fighting disease and making progress in energy and environmental matters.

Hockfield preserved MIT’s financial resources and raised nearly $3 billion even during the recent economic downturn.