As President Hockfield stated in her inaugural address, "MIT is uniquely equipped, and obliged, to make a critical difference... to educate the leaders the world needs now." Rather than classifying people as "leaders" or "nonleaders" and trying to develop individuals into leaders, MIT assumes that everyone can learn and grow in ways that make them more effective in the various contexts, roles within a group, and processes they take on in their lives. Each experience you engage in during your time at MIT is an opportunity to test skills, shape effectiveness, and enhance awareness about how you want to impact the world. We have developed this website as the foundation for a Virtual Leadership Center, a one-stop-shop for dissemination of information about the wide inventory of offerings across MIT that provide leadership development opportunities for students.

When using this website, please think of the term "leadership" in its broadest definition - beyond position, power, or privilege - and recognize that each of us has qualities that can be examined, practiced and developed including skills in: problem-solving, creativity, big-picture thinking, ability to connect people and ideas, ability to influence others, conscientiousness, conflict resolution, attention to detail, communication skills, or a desire to change the world.

AITI The MIT-Africa Internet Technology Initiative (MIT-AITI) is an innovative program started by MIT students to integrate computers and Internet technology into the education of students in African schools. The program uses innovations such as cutting edge programming tools and free open-source systems to introduce students in Africa to the Internet, and to equip them with skills that will allow them to be creative and resourceful. Given that information technology carries the potential to empower people around the globe with knowledge, African students need to be equipped with the tools and skills needed for the development of information technology. The vision of MIT-AITI is not only to teach students in the classroom, but also to have impact on the participating schools and communities. In the past years of the program, students have succeeded in getting jobs in their local IT industry. They also have been involved in web development for local community initiatives. The program aims to serve a wide audience across gender and income levels. Finally, MIT-AITI has succeeded in improving the quality of education at the Shools by teaching African teachers and equipping them with the necessary knowledge set, thus enabling sustainable development of the curriculum at each school.