Vice President and Dean for Rensselaer at Hartford Alan Eckbreth stepped down from his position late Monday afternoon. The decision took effect immediately, and was announced in an e-mail from President Shirley Ann Jackson to high level officials at that time. An interim vice president and dean has not yet been named, nor has a search for a permanent replacement begun, but both are expected to happen in the near future.
On Tuesday, Provost G.P. “Bud” Peterson and Vice President for Human Resources Curtis Powell announced the decision to Hartford faculty and staff as well as their continuing commitment to Education for Working Professionals.
“The mood of the meeting was positive and forward-looking,” said Peterson in a statement. “We had a good discussion and there were many questions. It was an important opportunity to discuss what needs to be done to accomplish the goals outlined in The Rensselaer Plan for Education for Working Professionals.”
The announcement of Eckbreth’s resignation took many officials throughout both the administration and student government by surprise. Several suggested that the resignation may have come as a surprise to Eckbreth as well, citing discussions with Eckbreth as late as last Friday in which he was still making plans for this week and organizing his schedule.
The administration has not said what caused Eckbreth’s decision to leave, only that they will not discuss personnel issues and that they are moving forward with the goals laid out in The Rensselaer Plan.
Eckbreth’s office declined to comment, and directed any questions to RPI’s Office of Communications.
“The goals and objectives remain the same,” said Director of Media Relations Theresa Bourgeois. “Dr. Jackson has cleared stated the Institute’s commitment to these programs. There has been no change in direction as outlined in The Rensselaer Plan.”
President Jackson has said that she will be in chief control of the Hartford campus until an interim dean is named, and that Peterson will oversee academics there, while Dean for Graduate Education Tom Apple will supervise the EWP programs that are based in Troy.
“My biggest concern is for the students of Hartford,” said Grand Marshal Mike Dillon. “I will be following this closely, and I trust that the administration will find a qualified candidate [to replace Eckbreth].”
