High school student visitors on Killian Court, 1972
Black Students' Union members began helping recruit black students in 1968. Curtis Reeves '73 (in white tie, center), a junior in economics at MIT from Atlanta, GA, serving as tour guide for part of a group of 40 East Coast high-school students, 10-11 February 1972. The group was bussed from the New York City-Newark-Westchester County area to MIT for a firsthand look at the Institute.
The Institute's first major effort to recruit black students was spearheaded by John A. Mims, MIT's first black associate director of undergraduate admissions (1969-75). During their 2-day stay, visiting high-school students attended classes, toured the campus, talked informally with faculty members, and discussed admissions and financial aid. Each visiting high-school student had an MIT student host.