Transitions

Peter Pritchard has joined Rensselaer as program manager with a focus on nanoelectronics in the Office of Technology Commercialization (OTC). He comes to Rensselaer with more than 14 years of product management, sales, market analysis and business development experience, working for advanced technology and Fortune 500 operations. Pritchard has a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Brown University.

"Under The Rensselaer Plan, intellectual property and technology commercialization are important elements under the Scientific and Technological Entrepreneurship initiatives," said Chuck Rancourt, director of the Office of Technology Commercialization. "The addition of Peter is another significant step forward for OTC and the Office of the President as we work to achieve these initiatives."

Tom Korrie has been named head men's lacrosse coach. Korrie was an attackman for the Syracuse Orangemen from 1983-86. During his collegiate career, the team played in four NCAA Division I Final Fours, including in 1983 when they won the National Championship. Korrie graduated from Syracuse with a bachelor's degree in health and physical education. After a brief professional career, he earned a master's degree in physical education from SUNY Cortland. Korrie taught and coached at the high school level in central New York for nine years, including stints at Homer High School and Cicero North Syracuse High School. In 2001, he was named head men's lacrosse coach at Marymount University in Arlington, Va. He spent one season at Marymount, a Division III program that plays in the Capital Athletic Conference, before being hired at Rensselaer.

David Decker has been hired as the assistant women's basketball coach. Decker, a long-time coach in the Capital Region, joins the staff of second-year head coach John Greene. Decker comes to Rensselaer from Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School, where he coached at various levels over the past 10 years. One of his most successful campaigns came during the 1999-2000 season, in which he led the Lady Spartans varsity team to the Sectional and Regional Championships en route to the program's first appearance in the New York State Public High School Class B Final Four in over eight years. 12/9/02

Search Committee Formed for Vice Provost for Institute Diversity

President Shirley Ann Jackson has formed a committee to conduct a nationwide search for a vice provost for Institute Diversity. In keeping with the initiatives of The Rensselaer Plan, the new head of Institute Diversity will work to build a campus community that welcomes all people, regardless of race or gender and a student body and faculty that better represent the global makeup of society.

"This individual will be responsible for leading Rensselaer's efforts to accomplish ethnic, gender, geographic and intellectual diversity among students, faculty and staff," said President Jackson.

Search committee members include: Tom Apple (chair), dean of graduate education; Alan Balfour, dean of architecture, Luciano Castillo, assistant professor, mechanical, aerospace, and nuclear engineering, Teresa Duffy, dean of enrollment management, Isom Herron, professor of mathematical sciences, Cynthia McIntyre, chief of staff and assistant secretary of the institute, Sandra Nierzwicki-Bauer, professor of biology, Rita Richardson Salley, interim assistant vice president of human resources, and Lisa Trahan, dean of the first-year experience.

"While this committee will have the principal responsibility for the identification of outstanding candidates for this position, attracting the highest quality individual for this position will require the effort of the entire university community, and I enlist your assistance in this most important process," Jackson said. Send suggestions to one of the committee members. 12/2/02

Hold the Date: Molecularium Opening Dec. 11

The Junior Museum in Troy will unveil its new Molecularium at a press event at the Museum on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 10 a.m. The public is invited to attend. Housed in the Lally Digistar II Planetarium at the Junior Museum, the Molecularium is an animated trip designed to introduce children to the different states of matter-molecules, atoms, and even polymers. The Molecularium is a joint project of Rensselaer and the Junior Museum and is funded by the National Science Foundation. 12/2/02

Clothe-A-Child Campaign

For the 28th year, Rensselaer is participating in the Troy Record's annual Clothe-A-Child Campaign, which raises money to buy winter clothing for needy area children.

Now through Dec. 13, the Union will offer a variety of ways to participate. A "clothes line" of paper gloves, shoes, hats, and coats is hung in the Union's West Lobby area; apparel items can be purchased for a $1 donation. Canisters will also be located throughout the Union to collect spare change.

On Wednesday, Jan. 29, the annual Student Appreciation Dinner will be held. At the dinner, faculty and staff members serve dinner to students who have been sponsored by campus offices or departments.

For more information, contact the Rensselaer Union at ext. 6505 or Maureen Brower at browem@rpi.edu. 12/2/02

Sixty-Seven Students Named to UCAA All-Academic Team

The 2002 Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association (UCAA) Fall All-Academic Team has been announced and a league-high 67 Rensselaer student-athletes were selected.

Rensselaer had by far the most All-Academic selections of any UCAA team. Vassar was second with 49, followed by St. Lawrence (39), Skidmore (34), Clarkson (32), Union (30), Hobart/William Smith (23), Hamilton (17), and Rochester (16).

Honored student-athletes must have at least sophomore athletic and academic standing with a minimum grade point average of 3.20. The fall sports included are men's and women's cross country, field hockey, football, men's golf, men's and women's soccer, women's tennis, and women's volleyball. (Rensselaer does not have women's volleyball as an intercollegiate sport.)

For a list of Rensselaer's UCAA All-Academic student-athletes, go to http://www.rpi.edu/dept/athletics/. 12/2/02

Call for Entries: the Saatchi & Saatchi Innovation in Communication Award

International advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi is sponsoring a contest to identify an artistic, linguistic, or technological idea that has "the potential to provide the greatest communication benefit to the greatest number of people, or to a group of people with a particular need."

The competition for the company's Innovation in Communication Award is open to individuals and groups of students, faculty, and staff. The winner will take home a $100,000 prize package of $50,000 cash and $50,000 in Saatchi & Saatchi marketing and advertising services. Saatchi & Saatchi must receive all entries no later than 5 p.m. Dec. 11. Finalists and winners will be announced in January.

For entry forms and more information, visit the award's Web site at http://www.saatchi-saatchi.com/innovation/index-lo.html. 12/2/02