MIT gets $140 million donation from anonymous alumnus

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is getting a $140 million donation from a former student.

Officials at the elite school said Wednesday that the donation comes from an alumnus who wants to remain anonymous. The gift is an unrestricted donation, meaning it can be used in any way to support MIT’s research and education mission.

MIT President L. Rafael Reif said donations of this type are “the vital fuel that helps big ideas take off.”

A statement from the donor says he feels “blessed to be able to give back to the institute so other students can experience what I did.”

School officials say they have received $3.4 billion in donations as part of a $5 billion fundraising campaign.

MIT is located in Cambridge and enrolls more than 11,000 students.