Conversations with History: Institute
of International Studies, UC Berkeley
This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations
with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the
public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.
Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry
Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest today
is Professor Charles M. Vest. 
Professor Vest was President of MIT from
1990 until December 2004. He is the 2005 Clark Kerr lecturer at UC Berkeley
and he's the author of Pursuing the Endless Frontier: Essays on MIT
and the Role of Research Universities.
- Background ... mathematician father
and homemaker mother ... bucking the aptitude tests to become an engineer
... optics, lasers, and mechanical engineering
- Being a University Administrator ... discovering an unknown skill
... the thrill of fostering careers ... connecting people ... tradition of
working together at both schools ... knowing when to be patient ... listening
skills ... fostering other people's good ideas
- Four Virtues ... recognizing excellence ... perseverence ... boldness
at the critical moment ... fighting the Justice Department for needs-based
scholarships ... finding reasons for optimism
- Thoughts on Management ... management as team-building ... finding
what's right at the core ... changing relationship of MIT to the federal
government ... changing relationship with private industry ... getting out
of the way of interdisciplinary collaboration
- Vision ... no vision planned from
the outset ... following core values ... commitment to openness ... commitment
to fundamental research
- Science in the Twenty-First Century ...
MIT and open courseware ... precedents in the fifites and sixties ... the
beginning of a movement ... preserving openness in the post-9/11 environment
... terrorism is a nebulous issue ... treating all students equally
- Terrorism and Homeland Security ...
serving on the Silverman Commission ... remaining committed to openness ...
too much classified information
- Conclusion ... career satisfactions:
open courseware ... advancement of women in sciences ... advice to students
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