New facility at MIT with US$ 1 million grant from Lord Paul

A new facility for students and faculty of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, built with a one million-dollar grant from Labour peer Swraj Paul, was opened on Friday and will be the new home for its School of Management. The grant was made through the Ambika Paul Foundation, set up by Lord Paul in 1978 in memory of his daughter Ambika who died of leukaemia in 1968 at the age of four.

“I would like to thank the Ambika Paul Foundation for their generous support and contribution towards the construction of these fabulous facilities. The Ambika Paul Mezzanine and Study Room create an impressive space, which will be an invaluable asset to both our school and the MIT for many years to come,” said David Schmittlein, Head of the MIT Sloan School of Management.

Akash Paul, son of Lord Paul, who attended the opening, said: “It gives me a great amount of pleasure to be able to present these facilities to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on behalf of Lord Swraj Paul and family and Ambika Paul Foundation. The family is delighted to be in a position to offer valuable support to an academic community of such excellence, and one which has also been attended by so many members of our family.”

In a statement, the Foundation said that its aim was to inspire young people worldwide through education, culture and health. In 2007, it was approached by MIT for financial support towards the construction of a “21st century home for its School of Management.”

“The Foundation’s contribution will provide valuable meeting and study space in the modern E62 Building, for both students and faculty. The Ambika Paul Mezzanine, which takes a prominent part in it, is a modern light-filled area where students and lecturers can meet and talk while enjoying a perfect view over the dramatic Boston skyline. The Ambika Paul Study Room, on the other hand, is a quieter breakout area where students can study in groups and develop their ideas,” it said.

Source: The Hindu, May 14, 2011