Elizabeth M. “Betsy” Hicks assumed the role of director of Student Financial Services at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology starting on June 19, 2000. Prior to taking on this position at MIT, Ms. Hicks worked as the deputy director of executive programs for planning and program development at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, a post she held beginning in 1998.

The appointment follows a thorough national search process. Rosalind H. Williams, who served as the dean of students and undergraduate education alongside chairing the search committee, noted that Elizabeth Hicks emerged as the unanimous choice. Dean Williams shared positive remarks from an SFS staff member who described the hire as a major win for the campus community.

At MIT, the Student Financial Services department merges the former Bursar’s Office with the former Office of Financial Aid. This integration forms a unified Office of Student Financial Services housed within the Student Services Center. The center acts as a centralized access point for students seeking help regarding loans, student accounts, financial aid awards, or registrar transactions.

Ms. Hicks brings substantial national expertise in the student financial assistance sector. She served as the deputy assistant secretary for student financial assistance programs within the United States Department of Education from 1995 through 1998. During her federal tenure, she steered those federal programs through a complicated period marked by significant internal and external changes, earning recognition for her fair and steady leadership. Notably, no previous political appointee held that specific federal office for longer than six months.

While serving as deputy assistant secretary, Ms. Hicks managed a workforce consisting of 1,200 employees located in Washington, D.C., and across 10 regional offices. Her purview included managing a $600 million budget during the 1998 fiscal year. The federal division she directed administered roughly 75 percent of all student financial aid originating from every available source and maintained regulatory supervision over 15,000 distinct entities, which included universities, colleges, commercial banks, and secondary markets.

Before her time in Washington, Ms. Hicks worked at Harvard University from 1984 to 1995. During those years, she functioned as the coordinator of financial aid as well as assistant dean of admissions and financial aid. Her academic background includes a Master of Arts degree in French from Colgate University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in French earned at the University of Detroit.

Dean Williams praised Ms. Hicks for her exceptional management capabilities, deep comprehension of financial aid policies, and proven talent for establishing cooperative partnerships across an entire academic institution during her tenure at Harvard. The search committee concluded that her personal values and professional principles aligned well with MIT, and university leaders expressed enthusiasm about her arrival.

Ms. Hicks succeeded Carolyn Bunker, who departed MIT to accept a new professional opportunity at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute located in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. The announcement of this leadership transition initially appeared in the June 7, 2000, edition of MIT Tech Talk.

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