Rensselaer Magazine: A Work Well Begun, page 1

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A Work Well Begun

The Rensselaer Plan is simultaneously bold and realistic. Built upon the Institute’s distinctive strengths in interdisciplinary research, interactive learning, and technological entrepreneurship, the plan is relevant to the needs of the 21st century. At the plan’s core are the affirmations that education and research are inextricably linked in a great university, and that Rensselaer must become a leader in the critical research fields of biotechnology and information technology if it is to honor its commitment to its students and the world.

The creation of The Rensselaer Plan was an institutional effort — and therein lies its strength. It was the result of comprehensive, strategic, and unified planning that involved the entire Rensselaer community. As a result, all of Rensselaer’s constituencies clearly can see their fingerprints on the final document, and all schools, divisions, and departments are driving the success of the plan through the practice of performance planning and budgeting.

The scope and speed of the plan’s creation and implementation have created a palpable excitement on campus and beyond. Progress in the Institute’s core enterprises has been rapid and significant.

Morris Silverman: A Noble Enterprise
A $7 million gift from philanthropist and Troy native Morris “Marty” Silverman in December 2001 to advance biotechnology research, matched by an additional $7 million from Rensselaer, has created the Noble Enterprise Constellation. Once fully assembled, the Noble Enterprise will consist of a group of distinguished senior and junior faculty in biotechnology research who will have academic faculty appointments at Rensselaer and joint positions at the Wadsworth Center of the New York State Department of Health.

The Noble Enterprise Constellation was created to conduct research in regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, which is the replacement or rebuilding of damaged tissues and organs for therapeutic purposes.

Here are some highlights of the major accomplishments that promise even greater things for Rensselaer in this young century:

Undergraduate recruitment is stronger than ever
Applications are up, selectivity is up, SAT scores are climbing, and Rensselaer is broadening the intellectual, geographic, gender, racial, and ethnic diversity of its students. The average SAT score for the Class of 2006 is 1310, continuing a five-year trend during which scores have increased by 44 points. Thirty-two freshmen scored 800 on the math SAT, 13 achieved an 800 verbal, and two had a perfect 1600.

Rensselaer’s eminent faculty is growing
The faculty now numbers more than 450 talented individuals, including a Nobel Laureate and members of the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Sciences.

They have won many accolades in the past few years, including election to the national academies, being named fellows of the nation’s learned societies, and winning important international honors and awards.

And we are augmenting our faculty with equally extraordinary new men and women. This fall, the campus welcomed 41 new faculty members. By the end of this academic year, Rensselaer is expected to have hired at least 66 new faculty members over the past two years — 32 in entirely new positions.

The faculty is driving a research renaissance
Rensselaer is attaining unprecedented levels of support for cutting-edge work in critical fields such as terahertz science, nanotechnology, and information technology. Total research funding — approximately $44 million when The Rensselaer Plan was adopted — exceeded $50 million for the first time in 2001 and totaled $58.5 million this past year, an all-time high that likely will be eclipsed in the coming months.

People, Programs, Platforms
The Rensselaer Plan's "we will" statements are fast becoming "we did" items. Transformation is happening throughout the Rensselaer community - in its people, programs, and facilities. What follows, along the bottom of each page, are some of the accomplishments thus far:

Rensselaer Magazine: December 2002
President's View	Your Mail	From the Archives	Hawk Talk	Class Notes Features

Front Page	At Rensselaer	Milestones
In Memoriam	Making a Difference	Staying Connected

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