UPDATE 3/12/21: On March 11 the MIT School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences raised $25,349 from 120 donors. MIT raised $1,488,864 from 6,622 donors READ MORE.

With this year’s MIT 24-Hour Challenge, we are asking MIT alumni, students, parents, and friends around the world to be counted for MIT when the world is counting on our community to meet the great challenges before us.

On March 11, the School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) is hoping that our alumni and friends will answer the call to support our students, faculty, and staff.

SHASS needs 75 donors to secure a gift of $20,000; 150 donors to secure an additional $20,000; 200 donors to secure an additional $10,000 from challenger Edward Hoyt ’57, SM ’58 for a total of $50,000.

DONATE on MARCH 11

Donors will be able to select and contribute to Global Languages within MIT-SHASS.

About the challenge

The School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences (SHASS) empowers young students, thinkers, and citizens with a range of competencies needed for success in every endeavor. Home to highly rated disciplines, ranging from economics to linguistics to music and theater arts, SHASS contributes to the Institute’s research agenda and teaches 100 percent of MIT undergraduate students.

MIT leaders have long recognized the arts as a fundamental component of an MIT education. Now, MIT has made a historic commitment to expanding and enhancing music education with a new, dedicated music building. In a typical year, more than 1,500 students enroll in MIT music classes, and Music and Theater Arts ranks consistently in the top five for undergraduate enrollment among all disciplines on campus. Music is among the most popular of the Institute’s 42 minors, and more than 500 musicians participate in one of 30 ensembles, chamber groups, or advanced music programs on campus in any given semester.

This year, a gift to any department or department in SHASS during the MIT 24-Hour Challenge will help unlock an additional $50,000 in gifts for the new music building, the first of its kind at the Institute. The impact of this facility will be felt for generations, building on MIT’s already strong musical offerings to transform the arts on campus and beyond.