Video transcript: A message from President Kornbluth about funding and the talent pipeline

President Kornbluth opens by acknowledging it has been a while since she last addressed the community. She frames the message around two ongoing challenges: funding and the talent pipeline.

On Funding

She notes that for over a year, MIT has faced budget pressures driven largely by "the heavy new 8% tax on our endowment returns" — a burden shared by only a few peer institutions. Kornbluth acknowledges that budget cuts across the Institute have required "serious effort and sacrifice" and thanks staff for their work.

She then addresses a seeming bright spot: Congress partially restored funding for some research agencies in February 2026. However, she cautions this is not cause for relief. Federal funding is not flowing to MIT as it typically has, and some agencies are considering geographic allocation of funds rather than merit-based decisions. She reports that "MIT has experienced a decline in campus research activity funded by federal awards of more than 20%" and new federal awards are also down over 20%. While non-federal sources have grown, it does not offset the loss. Overall, campus sponsored-research activity has shrunk by 10% year-over-year.

On Talent

Kornbluth describes MIT as being "in the talent business." Policy changes affecting international students and scholars are already discouraging top applicants. Funding uncertainty has made departments cautious about admitting new graduate students. She reports that graduate enrollment is down and expected to shrink further — outside of Sloan and the EECS MEng program, new enrollments are down close to 20% compared to 2024, potentially meaning roughly 500 fewer graduate students. The result is fewer mentors for undergrads and, as she puts it, "hundreds of exceptionally talented young people will not have the benefit of an MIT education."

She shares that senior faculty with long grant-winning records are now cutting graduate students, postdocs, and research avenues. MIT is developing short-term support for hard-hit groups, but she states this "will not be a long-term solution." The loss of research momentum, she argues, is also a loss for the nation.

Responses and Hope

Kornbluth notes several proactive steps:

• Faculty submitted 176 grant proposals to the Department of Energy's new Genesis Mission.
• MIT is pursuing new funding from industry, such as the newly launched MIT-IBM Computing Research Lab.
• New educational offerings (e.g., master's-only programs) are being explored to generate income.
• A new Resource Development leader is rethinking philanthropic strategy.
• Alumni and friends are stepping up with donations and advocacy.

The Washington Office is working across both parties to raise awareness about the "damage the endowment tax is doing to MIT." She is meeting with leaders in Congress and the Administration to advocate for MIT's value.

She closes by expressing confidence in the MIT community's "intensity," "enthusiasm," and "creativity and drive" to navigate the storm.