Our final awardee for the Gordon Y. Billard Award is Ron Hasseltine, Assistant Provost for Research Administration.
Ron’s career at MIT has spanned many departments, from the Center for Materials Science and Engineering to the School of Science to the Office of the Vice President for Research. His colleagues note that “his methods…lead to better operations, less friction, more collaboration and an improved ecosystem for conducting research at MIT.” They also praise his limitless empathy and patience.
Ron works with faculty, staff and DLCIs all over the Institute. Over many years his contributions have been marked by integrity, honesty and impeccable judgment – whether he was serving on the 2009 Institute-wide Planning Task Force or helping coordinate MIT’s pandemic response. One nominator shared, “Even in the toughest situations, Ron projects a sense of calm and rationality. He is constructive, supportive and efficient in solving problems, while continually dedicated to every individual he works with.”
Another colleague described him this way: “Ron is an MIT administrative legend."