From Bold Idea to Global Legacy: 25 Years of MIT OpenCourseWare

Celebrate 25 years of MIT OpenCourseWare (OCW)—a bold experiment that became a global movement. This half‑day symposium brings together learners, educators, supporters, open knowledge leaders, and the MIT community to honor OCW’s extraordinary impact and to chart the future of open education.

Since its launch in 2001, OCW has empowered millions worldwide with free access to MIT course materials. This anniversary offers a moment to recognize the vibrant ecosystem that sustains open knowledge as a public good—and to reaffirm MIT’s mission-driven leadership in ensuring that high-quality learning remains accessible to all.

Join us for an engaging, dynamic, and celebratory program featuring MIT leadership, pioneering faculty, global learners, open education innovators, and philanthropic partners. Together, we will explore OCW’s legacy, its role in the evolving open ecosystem, and the opportunities and challenges ahead.

Who Should Attend
This gathering welcomes:

• Learners and educators worldwide who use OCW to teach, learn, and create new opportunities
• Philanthropic supporters and donors who power open education
• MIT faculty, students, and staff invested in sharing knowledge freely
• Collaborators across the global open education and open knowledge networks

Symposium Program

10:00–10:10 AM
From Bold Idea to Global Legacy: 25 Years of MIT OpenCourseWare 
Welcome remarks from Dimitris Bertsimas and Curt Newton.

10:10–10:30 AM
Opening Remarks from MIT President Sally Kornbluth 
President Kornbluth will reflect on OCW’s impact and the Institute’s leadership in open knowledge.

10:30–11:00 AM
OCW @ 25: A Story in Motion
Premiere of a new short documentary celebrating OCW’s origins, influence, and global reach, followed by a panel with key MIT contributors who have helped shape OCW’s worldwide influence.

About the Speakers

Dimitris Bertsimas is the Vice Provost for Open Learning at MIT, the Associate Dean of Business Analytics, the Associate Dean of Online Education & Artificial Intelligence, the Boeing Leaders for Global Operations Professor of Management, and a Professor of Operations Research at MIT Sloan School of Management. At MIT Open Learning, he oversees Open Learning’s product offerings, new initiatives, infrastructure, finances, and operations.

A faculty member at MIT since 1988, he has made significant contributions in the areas of optimization, stochastic systems, machine learning, and their applications across various fields, including healthcare, transportation, and finance.

Curt Newton leads MIT OpenCourseWare in supporting millions of global learners and educators every year with freely shared materials from over 2,500 MIT courses.
Newton joined OpenCourseWare in 2004, shortly after its launch, captivated by the promise of open education, and worked as a Publication Manager and Site Curator prior to becoming Director in 2018.

Newton is also a recognized leader in building more effective and equitable climate action through open knowledge practices and resources, at MIT and around the world, through a wide range of professional and civic engagements.

Sally Kornbluth, in her capacity as the 18th president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, assumed office in January 2023, following a tenure as Provost of Duke University from July 1, 2014, to December 31, 2022. Prior to her role as Provost, she served as the vice dean for basic science at Duke University, underlining her strong background in academia. Kornbluth holds the distinction of being the first female provost at Duke University, setting a precedent for future women in leadership.

In addition to her administrative roles, Kornbluth is recognized in the academic community as a member of the National Academy of Medicine, the National Academy of Inventors, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She has also contributed to the field of science with significant research publications in the areas of cell death and cancer resistance. Her inauguration as president of MIT saw her outline objectives for the institution, notably accelerating work on climate change and strengthening the bond between engineering and life sciences.

Outside of her academic roles, Kornbluth has actively engaged in critical discussions, testifying before a congressional hearing on antisemitism on university campuses following the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. Furthermore, she has participated in panels on online learning, giving it high marks and indicating her progressive approach to education.

We will include additional speaker bios as they become available.

All sessions will be streamed live on the MIT OpenCourseWare YouTube Channel. They will be recorded and made available online after the event.

To see the complete program, please visit MIT Open Learning.