As one of the Archer Center for Student Leadership Development’s two associate directors, Render helps to provide skill-based, interactive leadership education to RPI students and the community complementing the Institute’s educational mission.

A reception was held Friday, February 16, in the Shelnutt Gallery at the Rensselaer Union for colleagues and students who have known Render over the years to wish him well in his leaving of RPI.

At the reception, Archer Center Director Linda McCloskey noted that the Center’s staff "will miss him terribly." She added, "We wish him the best of luck."

Rick Hartt, director of the Rensselaer Union, who has known Render for 15 years, said, "I’ve had the pleasure of working with him not only here but at the College of St. Rose. He’s a real professional." He added, "He’s going to do a good job at Siena College."

During his nine-year involvement with the Archer Center, Render initiated an annual leadership banquet and the establishment of accredited classes in leadership in both the engineering and management schools. Render has enjoyed "teaching life skills leadership classes" and "watching the Archer Center grow from three full-time staff to 11."

Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, a leading national organization for college and university student affairs administrators, also now recognizes the Center as a premier example of a well-established leadership institution; annually, about eight or nine universities visit the Archer Center in order to gain insight into starting or improving their own leadership centers.

Describing his time spent at Rensselaer, Render noted, "It’s been an incredible experience. I’ve really enjoyed a lot about teaching leadership."

He remarked that conducting workshops for Rensselaer Union clubs has been one of the "most rewarding aspects" of his current position.

Render said, however, that he’s ready for a vocational change and seeks "new professional growth." He added that the Siena position has "unique things going for it that I’d like to experience."

One of these is a full-scale ropes training course used for building leadership, trust, and teamwork skills that Siena College maintains on its campus. Although the Center makes use of portable apparatuses to try to duplicate the utility of a full ropes course, Render noted that it is "not the same thing."

In addition to managing the ropes course at his new position at Siena, Render will also be chiefly responsible for booking leadership conferences and advising the student program board.