Student Support Services
(S3)

Miri Skolnik

Areas of Specialization & Professional Interests
Miri began working as an Assistant Dean at MIT in 2008. Miri was trained at the University of Michigan and the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, and worked in community mental health prior to arriving at MIT. She is interested in working with first-generation students from low-income backgrounds
 
Education
Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology (William James College), PsyD
University of Michigan, BA in History

Personal
I have been lucky to work at MIT for the past 12 years, surrounded by the daily buzz of ideas that makes MIT feel electric. 
 
I was fortunate to grow up in the town of Montclair, New Jersey, a socioeconomically and racially diverse suburb with a widespread commitment to social justice. I was privileged that my home-town had safe, leafy, tree-lined streets, and even more importantly, a well-resourced educational pipeline that meant that the majority of students from my home town had the opportunity to go to college.
 
In my work at MIT, I think a lot about luck and privilege, and equitable access to opportunity. I think a lot about class background as an invisible and unspoken force that shapes people’s experience, especially in college. Not surprisingly, you will find me involved with a lot of programs that focus on access to resources, equity, and socioeconomic issues (things like the ARM Coalition, CASE, and the FGP at MIT).
 
Personally, I try to approach my work (and life) with a sense of humor, humility, and a strong cup of coffee. My training is in clinical psychology, which means I like to listen, and hear about people’s lives and experiences, and see if I can help make things easier in some way. I learn from MIT students every single day, whether or not they realize they are teaching me!

Contact
Email: mskolnik@mit.edu
Phone: 617-253-4861