We were disappointed by the editorial on October 10 which suggested Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson’s presidency should come to an end. While the Faculty Senate issue is important and it does need to be resolved, saying that the president is the problem and that she should resign is counterproductive. The benefits of having Jackson as RPI’s president are too numerous to mention all of them, but we’ll point out a few here from our point of view.

First, Jackson is widely acknowledged to be one of the most prominent university presidents of our day. Her renown as a scientist and an administrator has helped RPI gain greater distinction and helped grow our endowment by hundreds of millions of dollars since she took office. Her connections here also provided unique opportunities for students, such as internships last summer at CERN—the world’s largest particle physics laboratory.

Second, Jackson’s vision has brought extraordinary positive change to the Rensselaer campus. We are not just talking about new buildings and programs, but also about new students. Last week, Jackson spoke to a group of 200 students that were visiting the campus for our Science, Technology, Arts and Architecture at Rensselaer program hosted by admissions. This visiting group was made up of women and underrepresented minorities, both of which we are working hard to attract to the Institute. The impact Jackson had on those students was tremendous, and it would be hard to find any other university president who could have such an influence with women and under-represented minorities looking for an exciting and challenging college experience.

Third, Jackson has worked to increase positive media coverage and improve the value of all of our Rensselaer degrees. To say that she has done anything that has either detracted from the value of RPI or encouraged negative press is a bit naïve, given how aggressive her administration has been with press and media relations.

While we understand that the media’s role is to provide alternative viewpoints, simply attacking the president without offering a single alternative does not change anyone’s opinion. We would hope that a campus news organization like The Poly could provide more constructive dialogue, rather than saying something needs to happen and it’s the president’s fault things are bad. Quite frankly, from our point of view, things are not bad. We see that admissions numbers are the highest they have ever been, and the selectivity of the Institute is at an all-time high. More and more students are winning top national and international prizes for their research, and the school is investing in student-centered activities like performing arts and campus athletics. While the Faculty Senate may be the tough issue of the day, it by no means spells the end for life at Rensselaer. As with many other challenges during her presidency, Jackson will guide the Institute through with dignity and a fair hand.

Rensselaer Student