President L. Rafael Reif's charge to the Class of 2016
Below is the prepared text of the charge to the graduates by MIT President L. Rafael Reif for the Institute’s 2016 Commencement, held June 3, 2016. Thank you, Anish. I want to deeply thank the Senior Gift Committee, the entire graduating class, and the MIT alumni and friends who provided your challenge grant: Steve and Karen Kaufman, and Debby Stein and Jim Sharpe. Anish, before you go: We have something special to present to Mr. Damon. Matt, would you join us here for a moment? As many of you know, there is a scene in “The Martian” where Matt’s character, astronaut Mark Watney, decides that Mars counts as “international waters,” and therefore, he must count as a space pirate. Matt, in a few minutes, the Provost and I will give out a lot of diplomas. But right now, Anish and I would like to present to you a very special MIT certificate. Usually, you can...