To: Mr. Charles M. Vest, President, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Mr. Robert A. Brown, Provost; Mr. Thomas L. Magnanti, Dean, School of Engineering; Mr. Patrick Jaillet, Department Head, Civil and Environmental Engineering RE: Construction Engineering and Management Program Gentlemen, This letter is written in support of MIT’s Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) Program. The undersigned are currently completing the CEM program or have graduated and gone on to pursue careers in the construction industry or are involved with construction related issues in industries such as banking or consulting. Though our backgrounds differed greatly, our reasons for coming to MIT and pursuing a CM degree were similar. Firstly, MIT is the finest institution for higher education in the field of engineering. Secondly, MIT gives great freedom to every student in selecting courses and structuring his or her curriculum, thereby acknowledging the fact that ever more complex problems in today’s world require a multidisciplinary approach. In the academic world, MIT is uniquely positioned to bring together divergent views from different disciplines. The CEM program is an excellent example of doing just that by integrating perspectives from engineering and business. A small number of specialized courses are offered within the program. These excellent core courses are complemented by rich offerings at the Sloan School, other MIT programs, and other universities such as Harvard’s JFK School of Government. In as much as CEM students enroll elsewhere, there is still a single natural home for this program, Course 1, because in the final analysis the problems we are most passionate about are rooted in the built environment. It is our strong belief that the program is and ought to remain an integral part of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at MIT. We hope that this letter, our proven record of academic and professional success, and our highest appreciation for the Construction Engineering and Management faculty will be taken into consideration as decisions are made regarding the future of the program. Sincerely yours, The students and alumni of the MIT Construction Engineering and Management Program