Anne Rochette

A few years ago, I was asked to comment upon the skills that had been most useful during my tenure as dean and how I had come to acquire them. Oddly enough, or perhaps not so oddly, I couldn’t help but think that I owed them to you, that it was my training in linguistics under your supervision that made me develop these skills, just as it paved the way to my career as a linguist. I learned so much from you, not only in terms of linguistics knowledge and argumentation, but also with respect to life in general, throughout the numerous discussions we had about politics. Your respect and support during all the years I worked with you taught me how to become a good advisor, how to encourage students and support them in difficult times. Since you were on sabbatical my first year at MIT, I only started to meet with you during the fall of my second year, when I was told you would be part of my generals committee, even though I was working on a syntax paper in another framework! That was not the most agreeable set up, as you may recall, and for the young shy woman I was then, it was a rather terrifying situation. Your concern for what I was going through over that period, especially after that horrendous defense that had so little to do with my work, really made the difference. It is with that teaching of yours in mind that I have in turn been able to make the difference for some of my advisees facing difficult situations. Thank you for that and for everything else! Happy birthday, dear Noam!