This month marks the five-year anniversary of the Board of Trustees unanimous approval of The Rensselaer Plan. This blueprint for prominence within the 21st Century has provided the singular direction necessary for progress. We had to reinvent Rensselaer, for we were stagnant, stuck in the rut of mediocrity. Five years ago it was simply a concept, a vision, and nothing truly tangible. So where has five years of work and funding gotten us? How many of those “we will” statements outlined in The Plan can we stand behind today with results?
Tangible results of The Rensselaer Plan are all around us. We see the progress in the general facade of the campus, we see it in the increased quality of our students, and we can see it in the excitement that is incited with the mention of one word, Rensselaer.
The progress is clear, our orientation defined, but our work is not done. While the foundation of the new facilities have been fortified within the campus, it is we, the members of Rensselaer, that must fill the halls of the eMPAC Center, join together in recreation on the East Campus Athletic Facilities, and overflow the labs of the BioTech Center with research and discovery. As President Jackson has stated, “We will realize The Plan by bringing focus, new resources, hard work, and good will—in short by acting together, as a community.”
Lately I have been disappointed and disheartened with the response of some of our students and faculty. I have heard criticisms and negative sentiments at times when there is such positive change occurring. There are unfounded complaints from individuals whose self-interests have been displaced. There are those that are so entrenched in the Rensselaer of old that they seem to be incapable of opening their eyes to progress and change.
To the faculty members, it is to you that I would say look beyond yourselves and focus on the progress we have made. This is not just about your personal experience or research, but about becoming a part of something larger and much more pervasive than our individual accomplishments. The Rensselaer Plan is about us, the students, and the next generation of students to follow.
To the students I would say, pick up your heads and take a good look around. The Rensselaer Plan has come to fruition. It is not only about improving our Rensselaer experience, but it is about achieving what is truly within the potential of the human spirit for discovery and innovation.
I firmly believe in one vision, one mission, and one Rensselaer. While we all have our own opinions, the time for questioning our direction has passed. We are more than halfway there. We have crossed the most dubious portion of our journey, and it is time to unite and take pride in the Rensselaer of new. So stand behind an Institute that not only represents the very essence, but also the very arm of mankind’s will for progress.
