Teresa Duffy, dean of enrollment management, is retiring after 10 years on the job. Taking time off to relax and visit Europe with her soon-to-be retired husband, Duffy is looking forward to her retirement. “I wanted to travel and play while I’m still healthy,” said Duffy. “I worked really hard to make this happen.” Her last day is tomorrow, September 30.
Duffy was originally recruited to be director of corporate and foundation relations for RPI, five years later she filled a vacancy for dean of undergraduate admissions. When Duffy started in the post, the retention rate between freshman and sophomore year was 80 percent; during her tenure it has risen to 93 percent. “I count that as one of my biggest achievements,” Duffy said. Among her other achievements Duffy notes the six year graduation rate. In 1994, 68 percent of freshmen graduated within six years; now, 81 percent of freshmen graduate within that time frame.
Though she feels accomplished, Duffy says, “There’s still some work to be done, if we want to be in the big leagues.” After seeing a 12 percent rise in applications in the past 10 years, Duffy says the number needs to go higher to garner a more diverse, real-world student population from various geographical locations.
As of Duffy’s retirement, Karen Long will become acting dean of enrollment management. According to Provost G.P. “Bud” Peterson, the search for a replacement started about a month and a half ago, and he expects it to be done in approximately six months.
Peterson also noted that the searches for vice provost for entrepreneurship and dean of the Lally School of Management and Technology are currently on-going. The search for a replacement vice provost for administration and dean of undergraduate education is nearing completion and the provost expects that the replacement will be named by mid-October; Currently Peterson is fulfilling the duties of the dean of undergraduate education.
Other vacancies include: dean of the School of Engineering, vice president for research, and vice president/dean of the Hartford campus. In the meantime, President Jackson is responsible for administrative and operations duties for the Hartford campus, while Provost Peterson is assuming the academic functions of the vacant position. The dean of engineering search for the Troy campus is continuing and a replacement is expected anywhere from mid- to late-October. The vice president of research position should be filled about a month later, according to Peterson.
