Impact of Your Support: Art (’73) and Sandra Reidel, MD

Art and Sandy Reidel say the personal connections they have made at MIT inspire their ongoing support for the Institute, specifically for programs that instill leadership skills in students.

“MIT is an incredible collection of wonderful individuals,” Art says. “We support MIT because we are confident it is a way to maximize the positive impact that we have on the world.” 

Investing with confidence. The couple established a charitable remainder unitrust, which provides income to a donor or other beneficiary while they are living and then goes to a designated cause at MIT—in the Reidels’ case, leadership programs. Both are now retired; during their working lives, Art was a CEO and investor in wireless communications and pharmaceutical software, and Sandy was an orthopedic surgeon. They are confident in the MIT Investment Management Company’s handling of their gift. “We could not think of a safer or more beneficial place to have those retirement funds,” Art says. 

Promoting collaboration across disciplines. Among other projects, the Reidels have funded a maker lab at the MIT Institute for Medical Engineering and Science. Sandy recalls describing to students her ideas for simple devices that would be helpful during surgery and being thrilled at how quickly they began devising prototypes. The couple also support humanities education at MIT, and they are happy to see how those subjects are integrated into the science curriculum. “Merging science and the humanities is very important, as is emphasizing leadership roles, and MIT recognizes that,” Sandy says.

Originally published in MIT Technology Review MIT News.