BOSTON — Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick has signed on to be a visiting fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology beginning this spring, the school and Patrick announced Tuesday.
The Democrat, who left office last week after two terms, will participate in MIT’s Innovation Initiative. His role will include appearances at seminars and other campus events. He will have office hours at the university but will not be teaching classes himself.
The announcement was the first word on Patrick’s specific plans for his future after he took the traditional “lone walk” down the front steps of the Statehouse and into private life. He confirmed before his departure that he had been in discussions over what he called a “loose affiliation” with MIT.
The former governor would focus on “issues at the intersection of policymaking, entrepreneurship, and innovation-based growth,” MIT said in a statement.
It was not immediately clear how much time Patrick would devote to MIT, and a university spokeswoman said the school does not disclose salaries.
As governor, Patrick repeatedly touted innovation and cutting-edge technology as vital to the state’s economic success, supporting and showcasing industries such as biotechnology, advanced manufacturing and clean energy.
“Innovation is the fuel of our economy,” Patrick said in statement Tuesday. “Massachusetts’ inventors and innovators, many of whom have come out of MIT, have worked with business and government leaders to make the Commonwealth a leader in many industries.”
