Rensselaer Magazine: Fall 2004: Staying Connected

President Jackson will participate in discussions with alumni and friends of Rensselaer in regions across the U.S. Photo by Kris Qua

On Sept. 10, Rensselaer announced a new capital campaign of historic proportions with a goal of $1 billion (see page 4). The fruits of this campaign will enable Rensselaer’s faculty and students to continue to apply technology, engineering, and science to solve the problems of humanity as they lead research in critical fields, and discover new ways to save and to change lives.

The campaign will be introduced to alumni and friends of Rensselaer at a series of special events. Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson has made plans to visit cities across the nation and around the world to declare, with alumni and friends, Rensselaer’s presence on the global stage. In each city that President Jackson will visit, she will host a high-level roundtable discussion with special guests and notable national and international players familiar with the issues facing the world and the nation.

“The list of individuals who are willing to be advocates for Rensselaer grows every day and the participation of these national leaders proves that we are moving in the right direction,” says David Haviland ’64, vice president for institute advancement.

Titled “An Extraordinary Evening of Conversation,” the events will highlight the ongoing “Renaissance at Rensselaer.” The roundtable discussions will focus on Rensselaer’s contributions to fields such as biotechnology, information technology, and the media and performing arts, and will spotlight the Institute’s successes in building new curricula to ensure that the Institute continues to educate leaders in the science and technology areas the world critically needs.

President Jackson’s first visits will be to cities across the Northeast, including New York City, Hartford, and Boston. Following these visits, she will travel to Florida and the West Coast, including San Jose and Los Angeles. The events will continue in Washington, D.C., and Chicago. President Jackson also will be traveling overseas to visit Rensselaer’s many alumni and friends in Asia.

“The president intends to bring the message of the ‘Renaissance at Rensselaer’ to all parts of the country and to our alumni and friends around the world,” says Jeffrey Schanz, director of alumni relations. “She wants alumni to see, firsthand, what all the excitement is about.”

“In 1824, Rensselaer’s mission statement declared that we will teach our students to apply science to the common purposes of life,” says President Jackson. “More than 180 years ago our university began to change the course of American higher education. Our mission today has never been more clear or more relevant to the issues facing our world. Please join me as, together, we write the next chapter for our great university.”

For dates and locations of the president’s regional tour dates, see the Events Calendar at www.alumni.rpi.edu/events.

Featured Alumni Events are listed on the AlumServ Web site.

University Alumni Travel
Benefits Program
Rensselaer alumni, faculty, and staff can get discounted prices on world-class resort condo rentals, hotels, and car rentals through the University Alumni Travel Benefits program. To see what is available, visit AlumServ at www.alumni.rpi.edu and click on the “UATB Program” link. To inquire about a vacation or to make a reservation, call (888) 729-3842 and give them ID code: ANY-002. As an alumni member, you also get 20 to 25 percent discounts on car rentals and hotels. Call the number listed on the Web site for more information.

Nanotechnology Conference
Innovations at the intersection of engineering, biology, and the physical and information sciences are spurring new directions in research, education, and technology transfer, and the future of nanoscience is likely to continue in this interdisciplinary manner. A conference titled “Nanotechnology: Innovation, Opportunity, and Commercialization” will highlight cutting-edge research and explore opportunities in commercialization of nanoscience, nanotechnology, and related science and engineering fields. Booth and sponsorship opportunities are available. The conference is sponsored by Richard Siegel, Rensselaer Nanotechnology Center; Bawa Biotechnology Consulting; Evident Technologies; Foley & Lardner; Sughrue, Mion; World Future Society; NanoScience Exchange; and Burns, Doane, Swecker, and Mathis. For information, contact Kathy Kinsey at kinsek@rpi.edu or (518) 276-2823.

Rensselaer (ISSN 0898-1442) is published in March, June, September, and December by the Office of Communications.	Opinions expressed in these pages do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors or the policies of the Institute.
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