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Deval Patrick to join MIT Innovation Initiative

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Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick will be regularly appearing on campus this spring in his new role as innovation fellow for the MIT Innovation Initiative.
Courtesy of Wikipedia

Deval Patrick to join MIT Innovation Initiative

Former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick will become a visiting fellow for the MIT Innovation Initiative this spring. He will hold formal office hours and make regular appearances at various seminars and on-campus events as part of the role, but he will not teach classes, according to MIT.

The initiative aims to support MIT’s “innovation ecosystem” through programs focused on developing entrepreneurial skills. These programs are open to all students, alumni, staff, and faculty.

As a visiting fellow, MIT said Patrick will work on making the interactions between policy-making, entrepreneurship, and innovation-based growth more cohesive.

Throughout Patrick’s two terms as governor, he emphasized the importance of establishing connections between academia and industry, as well as investing in ground-breaking technologies as a means to accelerate economic success, according to MIT’s press release.

During his time in office, he also delivered an economic policy address at MIT, spoke at MIT’s 2009 Commencement address, and attended ceremonies for various businesses in Kendall Square.

—Amy Wang