Upon taking his new post, Hajela has several important aims as far as undergraduate education. He hopes to increase undergraduate interest in research, foster interdisciplinary connections between subjects, and provide all students with an opportunity to enrich their curriculum in any way possible.

Due to the increase of undergraduates in past years and lack of student interest, the undergraduate research program has not been completely utilized. Hajela believes that “Research opportunities are not for everyone, but they should be available for anyone interested.” Part of the initiative to increase undergraduate participation in research is the creation of multidisciplinary connections among disparate subjects—one of Hajela’s central goals.

With the advent of new instructional pedagogies, many new studio classes such as Introduction to Biology have come to the forefront as classes that not only teach the subject matter innovatively, but as classes that forge strong connections among disciplines like math, physics, and the social sciences. With reference to the increasing trend of “studio style” classes at RPI, Hajela said, “Recitation will always be a part of the curriculum, but smaller studio classes like studio biology will be widely available.”

One of the largest commitments any institution has is the enrichment of the standard course content with research, experimentation, interdisciplinary work, co-ops, internships, travel abroad, and a plethora of other opportunities. Hajela hopes to enhance each student’s experience in some way—whether it’s a management major doing an entrepreneurial co-op abroad or a mechanical engineer interning, opportunities for real-world experience, travel, and research in a topic of interest seem to invariably pique a student’s interest in their field of choice. This may also lead them to further study as graduates.

Hajela also explained how “students need to be aware of the geopolitical climate in which they will be performing and become comfortable working in multicultural settings.” He also believes that “The EMPAC center may make it possible to have a global interactive classroom and workplace.” This would allow even campus-bound students the opportunity to enrich both their knowledge and experience in a field.

When asked about his motives for continuing his involvement in teaching, despite significant time-consuming commitments to both research and administration, Hajela responded, “After graduating as an aeronautical engineer, I decided not to go to a place like NASA because I felt there was real value in remaining close to students.”

In many ways, Hajela’s approach to undergraduates during his tenure will set the tone for future undergraduate curriculum innovations and endeavors at RPI. However, all of the technology, research opportunities, and enrichment opportunities available won’t complete the formula to RPI’s educational success. Hajela underlined this and emphasized that administration of the curriculum is not an end in itself when he stated simply that, “My real love is researching and teaching.”