By any measure, GivingTuesday was a success for MIT!

We know, and fully appreciate, that the MIT community steps up and gives back every day of the year. At no time is that more apparent than on GivingTuesday. We are so grateful for your ongoing support and want to assure you that your gift will have a major, positive impact on our academic and research enterprises—the effects of which begin here in Cambridge and ripple out around the world.

For those of you who made gifts of $100 or more, your smoot-worthy tape measure will soon be on its way to your mailbox. You should expect to receive yours in 4-6 weeks. For those who missed GivingTuesday, your gifts are welcome 24/7/365. Just click the link below.

Thank you for helping MIT make a better future!

A Smoot is a unit of measure named for MIT alum Oliver Smoot ’62, who, as a freshman in 1958, courageously—and with good humor—served as a human measuring stick (one smoot = 5′ 7″), so the world would know with certainty that the Mass Ave bridge was approximately 364.4 smoots long. Ollie’s participation with six of his Lambda Chi pledge brothers in the hack inspired this exclusive thank-you gift.

While a student at MIT, Ollie studied both physics and international relations, eventually going to law school, beginning his career as a computer programmer. As a living unit of measure, perhaps it’s not surprising that Ollie ended up working in the nation’s capital as the chairman of both the American National Standards Institute and the International Organization for Standardization.

“MIT taught me how to think and how to address problems, which is applicable in a host of different contexts,” he says. “Having an analytical way to think about problems is very helpful in Washington, DC, and having a technical background was definitely an advantage. Now, as an annual donor, giving back has become a way of life for me. Every gift adds up.”