Orientation to the Mathematics Department

Welcome to the MIT Mathematics Department! We are compiling here a collection of facts and suggestions that may help you start as a new faculty member or instructor.

Buildings and rooms at MIT are numbered in the format Building # - Room #. For example, Math Department Headquarters is in 2-236 (Building 2, Room 236). The area code for the Boston area is 617, and nearly all MIT telephone numbers begin as 253- or 258-. The last 5 digits of the number are considered extensions and can be dialed in the form 3-4381 or 8-5852, etc., on any phone inside MIT. MIT phones require a 9 before dialing outside.

Faculty Administration

Mike Sipser is the Head of the Department. David Jerison is the Chair of the Pure Mathematics Committee and Michel Goemans the Chair of the Applied Mathematics Committee. Dennis Porche is the Assistant to the Department Head.

Housing and Mortgage Programs

Rentals are expensive in the Boston area. Popular locations are Cambridge, Somerville, Back Bay, Brookline, Newton, and various outlying suburbs (generally better public schools). MIT also has mortgage programs for tenured and tenure-track faculty. The MIT Housing Office offers listings, local neighborhood profiles, and information on the mortgage eligibility window and other important conditions and details.

Benefits

Health Insurance, Retirement, and other benefits are available to new members of the MIT community. See the MIT Human Resources website for more information on the available benefits.

Teaching

Faculty generally teach a mixture of undergraduate and graduate subjects, and occasional recitations. Instructors mostly teach recitations in their first year here, and a mix of recitations and undergraduate subjects thereafter. In teaching load calculations, a recitation counts as 1.5 hours, a regular subject as 3 hours, and leading a large lecture subject counts as 4.5 hours. The undergraduate math office (UMO) handles organizational matters for both graduate and undergraduate classes and provides support for large service subjects (18.01-18.03 and some others) by organizing the recitation assignments, collecting and grading of homework, proctoring exams, recording homework and examination grades, and by maintaining copies of syllabi, lecture notes, exams, and handouts from prior years. The staff in the UMO can answer questions regarding MIT and Departmental policies concerning teaching and undergraduates, and can tell you which faculty are in charge of teaching assignments for various subjects.

TAs

The Department has roughly 60 TAs. The remainder of our approximately 110 graduate students are RAs or are on fellowships. TAs run recitations, grade homework, tutor, do some administrative tasks such as website maintenance, or some combination of these. They spend 8 - 12 hours per week on their TA duties. Support is guaranteed for the first 4 years in the graduate program, provided adequate progress is being made. Longer support may be given depending on availability of funds and justification.

Funding and Travel

Instructors are encouraged to seek funding for postdocs or joint grants with faculty. Faculty in their area can advise and assist in preparing applications. The Department provides all new, unfunded instructors with funding in the first year for travel expenses. Instructors who apply for funding but who fail to get a grant will be given funding for travel expenses in the subsequent year. (Note that federally funded travel must be on American carriers). New faculty may use their discretionary funds for travel, equipment, student support, summer salary and other things. The Department's Administrative Officer, Sarah Smith, can provide more information.

Secretarial Assistance

Every faculty member and instructor is assigned to a secretary who can help with typing, photocopying, keeping track of editorial correspondence, making travel arrangements, arranging for visitors, among other things.

Payroll

If arrangements have been made to pay you, your check will come at the end of the month and can be obtained from the Payroll office, NE49-3131. Should you wish to have your future checks electronically deposited to a local bank, you may obtain a direct deposit form online. Please see Brooke Pilawa-Podgurski in Headquarters for more information.

MIT ID Card

Once your appointment form has been processed through the Human Resources Office, you will be assigned an MIT ID number and can obtain your MIT Photo ID Card. The MIT Card Office is located in the basement of Building W20. If the Headquarters office does not know of your visit and as a result your appointment form is submitted upon your arrival, it may take a week to two weeks before Human Resources will have issued you an ID number. If that is the case, you may wish to call the Card Office at 3-3475 before going there, to be sure you are in their computer system, as they cannot process the card for you (or even take your photograph) before an ID number has been assigned to you.

Your ID card will serve a number of functions. It will be your library card, and its magnetic strip will open passageway doors throughout the Institute after these are locked at 6:00pm on weekdays (and locked on weekends).

Library

If your MIT ID Card has not yet been issued, the Department can give you a letter to present to the MIT library before you check out any materials. This letter will set up your library account. It will also serve as a temporary ID card until your photo ID is processed.

Parking

Parking is very limited at MIT and unfortunately cannot be regularly provided for Visitors. If there is a need, we may purchase day-passes at $10.00 each. Please see Brooke Pilawa-Podgurski if you need to purchase a day-pass.

Computer Assistance

The Department has its own computer network and staff. We provide and support Linux desktop computers for all faculty and instructors. Other types of computers (Windows PCs, Macs) are tolerated on our network, but are not supported. See the pages for additional information, including the location of our printers, scanners, ways to get help, etc.

Security

Items occasionally "disappear" from offices, especially laptops, wallets, bicycles, and other items that are easy to steal. Office doors must be locked when you leave (even for a minute) and valuables must not be left out overnight. We have a locked bicycle room on the first floor (but the Department cannot take responsibility for anything left there).