MIT Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science

Professor Alvin W. Drake named Ford Professor of Engineering

December 19, 1994

From: Paul Penfield, Jr.

Date: December 19, 1994

Subject: Al Drake Named Ford Professor

I am pleased to tell you that Professor Alvin W. Drake has been appointed Ford Professor of Engineering, effective January 1, 1995.

Al was recognized for his excellent teaching of undergraduates when he won the Bose Teaching Award in 1991. He developed 6.041 Probabilistic Systems Analysis about 30 years ago, and has continued to run it as one of the most effective department subjects. Under the new Master of Engineering curriculum, it is taking on a greater role, as a restricted elective and a prerequisite for 6.011.

But Al is also known for his insightful, caring, compassionate approach to education. He really cares about the quality of students' experience here. He was a housemaster in East Campus for seven years, and as co-chair of Area I he provided guidance and counsel to a legion of graduate students.

Al has contributed to the running of MIT by serving on many Institute and Department committees. He was the Chair of the ROTC committee at the time when the ROTC restrictions on sexual orientation were debated, and he contributed to keeping that discussion on a calm, even keel. He is now our department's representative on the Committee on Graduate School Policy.

The Ford chairs were established by a gift made in 1959 from the Ford Foundation, to recognize outstanding senior faculty for intellectual accomplishment, innovation, and leadership. The first five appointments, made in 1962, included Bob Fano and Dave White of our Department. There are now seven Ford Professors of Engineering at MIT, including EECS Professors Corbató, Siebert, and Baggeroer. Bill Siebert has announced his intention to retire in January 1995, so there will continue to be three in EECS. One other Department faculty member, Kent Bowen, was a Ford Professor until he left MIT in 1992.