Phillip L. Clay Named New Chancellor At MIT; Institution's No. 2 Post

Jet, July 9, 2001

Phillip L. Clay, a faculty member and administrator at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) since 1975, recently was appointed chancellor of MIT, becoming the highest-ranking Black official in the school's 136-year history.

Announcing Clay's appointment, MIT President Charles M. Vest praised Clay for his academic leadership and his "extraordinary ability to build consensus on some of the most complex issues we face as a university."

A native of Wilmington, NC, and graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Clay, 55, received his doctorate from MIT in 1975 and is widely known for his work in housing development policy. He authored one of the first studies to document urban gentrification and helped formulate policies that became part of the Housing Act of 1990. Clay also is a founding member of the National Housing Trust, which addresses the issue of housing preservation.

As MIT chancellor--the school's second-highest post--Clay will report to President Vest and oversee undergraduate and graduate education, student life and international research and student exchange programs. He also will continue to co-chair the Council on Faculty Diversity, which helps recruit minority and female professors to MIT.

Clay, who was assistant director of the MIT-Harvard Joint Center for Urban Studies, head of the Urban Studies and Planning department, and most recently served as associate provost, says that he will be committed to using "the rich diversity of backgrounds and talents" at MIT to "enhance the quality of learning and life for everyone in our community."

Clay, who resides in Boston, is married and has a daughter.