“Why not change the world?” is the slogan of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. I say Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute because that’s what this school is—a technical institute. Lately there has been a subtle effort on the part of the administration to omit the use of the latter two words in the name of the school and describe it only as Rensselaer.
I hate to burst your bubble, Mr. Joe Q. Administrator, but Rensselaer is a town neighboring Troy, not a world-class technical institute. RPI has always been a technical school and will always be a technical school, and not even changing the slogan on the sign under the footbridge to read “One word can change the world. Rensselaer.” will change that.
In light of all these sweeping changes to the face of RPI, we must remain true to the core science programs that have propelled this school to its current standing. RPI must continue to be primarily about chemistry, physics, engineering, mathematics, and computer science. Yes, new areas of research exploration are important; they will lead to wonderful innovations that will augment our understanding and work to benefit mankind. But there is equal innovation to be had in those five core sciences.
There is still much progress to be made in those fields, fundamental questions to be answered, new designs and programs to revolutionize the rest of the world. There’s the revolution. There’s the renaissance at RPI—finding new ways to think about and study the universe while remaining within the same framework that was here when Stephen Van Rensselaer was.
Personally, I came to RPI because it offers an excellent undergraduate education in physics. What makes it excellent is the professors who have the background in undergraduate and graduate level theory, which goes hand in hand with the research they do in fields such as optics, astronomy, particle physics, and solid state physics. All of those fields require an extensive knowledge of physical theory, and if RPI wants to keep this same quality of education in that and other departments, it needs to continue funding the core sciences.
A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, but RPI by any other name would compromise the outstanding core science programs that have made this school great—and the willingness of some of its graduates to donate as alumni.
