The semi-annual town meeting, a kind of State of the Union for RPI, was held last Thursday in DCC 308, with President Shirley Ann Jackson speaking for approximately an hour before opening the floor for questions that didn’t come. Her speech ranged in topic from the Capital Campaign to current admission standards to the renovations and expected new buildings around campus.
Jackson started her speech by describing the “exciting” month of September at RPI, which included welcoming new faculty, staff, and students, opening the Biotech Center, and the kickoff of the $1 billion capital campaign that coincided with a $40 million gift from Curtis Priem ’82.
“Rensselaer is a force of hope in this uncertain and tumultuous time,” Jackson said. “We must seize this opportunity—this moment—to claim a pre-eminent place for Rensselaer in a new world.”
Jackson described the progress of the Capital Campaign. Thus far, the campaign included traveling to events in New York City and Hartford, Conn., and a planned trip to Boston this week. It has already raised approximately $615 million. She showed the video that had been put together highlighting some of the changes and achievements from around campus. She also detailed that in starting a $1 billion campaign right now, RPI is joining a group of 22 other schools with that same goal. Seventeen schools have completed the goal.
Jackson also detailed where the money from the Capital Campaign is most needed. She said her office had identified key areas, such as research constellations, new faculty, and scholarships/fellowships for students. Money will also be allocated to research centers and programs, eMPAC and other arts programs, and student life areas such as First-Year Experience and athletics. Lastly, Jackson said some of the money will be given to continuing renovation of campus buildings such as upper-classmen dorms as well as new construction of buildings such as the east campus athletic complex.
“We must keep uppermost in our minds that what we do at Rensselaer touches and changes lives,” Jackson said in explaining why the renovations and changes are necessary. “We must do all we can to provide the best possible programs, facilities, and living experience for our students.”
She went on to cite figures on the Class of 2008, including the average SAT score of 1320, which reflects a 60-point increase over six years, and that 63 percent of the class was in the top tenth of its high school graduating class. New graduate students have higher GRE and GMAT scores, as well, and this year three Fulbright scholars began their studies. In addition, the number of Ph.D. candidates studying at RPI rose 44 percent this fall.
Jackson then noted the new curricula being offered, including the new Ph.D. programs in cognitive science and architectural science, and a program in electronic arts that is pending approval by the state. A minor in gaming has also been introduced, as well as a new MBA program in the Lally School that focuses on five “streams of knowledge” such as “developing innovative new products and services,” and “managing the business implications of emerging technologies.”
Jackson also said that “our commitment to an ambitious faculty hiring plan continues,” and described the new tenure and tenure-track faculty that have been hired. Thus far, 140 new faculty have been hired, with 73 of these in new positions.
Jackson also listed new department chairs around the Institute such as Sharon Anderson-Gold in Science and Technology Studies, Kathy High in Arts, and Linda McGown in chemistry. Walé Adeosun, she said, has been hired as treasurer and chief investment officer, a new position which will be responsible for the endowment and pension plan investments, along with other Institute resources. Lastly, Denise Clark has been named director of the Office of Research Administration and Finance, and will manage the administrative side of sponsored research projects.
The next part of the speech centered on the two great construction projects on campus right now, the Biotechnology Center and eMPAC. Biotech is now mostly complete and faculty move-in began last week. The move-in is expected to finish by the end of the calendar year. eMPAC is in the early stages of construction now, and is expected to be completed by 2007. A “black box” studio has been constructed in West Hall to support the beginnings of the research that will be done in eMPAC.
Jackson finished out the speech with a comparison between RPI and the Boston Red Sox, who won the World Series this year. She speculated that they had won this year after 86 years because they had embraced change and committed to being the best. “This kind of change doesn’t occur overnight and isn’t easy,” she said, but continued that we have made the commitment to being the best with The Rensselaer Plan and must back it up, regardless of how difficult it is.
