O. Robert Simha

Background

About O. Robert Simha

O. Robert Simha served as the Director of Planning for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology from 1960 to In that capacity, he was responsible for the planning and development of the MIT campus. During the period of his service at MIT, the campus grew from 4.5 million square feet to 9 million square feet. He was a key member of the team that developed MIT's commercial research and development facilities adjacent to the campus at Technology Square and University Park. He was deeply involved in the creation and financing of the Kendall Square Urban Renewal area. He served for over fifteen years as a trustee of the fifteen institutions that made up the Massachusetts Community College system. He is a founding member of the Society for College and University Planning. He served as president of the society and was awarded SCUP's Distinguished Service Award in He lectures, conducts workshops and teaches on subjects that relate to campus planning and educational facilities management at MIT. As the executive manager of University Residential Communities he seeks to foster the development of residential communities that can serve the residential needs of members of academic and research communities and their affiliates.