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HR Continues Progress on Its Key Initiatives
The
Division of Human Resources continues to make progress on its
refinements to Rensselaer’s performance management process.
“The project is focusing on how we invest in and manage
our employees,” said Curtis Powell, vice president for
human resources. “We will ask if we have the programs,
activities, and functions in place to support our ‘human
capital’ to achieve the excellence we talk about in the
Rensselaer Plan.”
"We
will ask if we have the programs, activities, and functions
in place to support our ‘human capital’ to achieve
the excellence we talk about in the Rensselaer Plan.”
— Curtis Powell—
|
HR
is working with divisions across campus to develop performance
management tools that include consistent and clear job descriptions,
required core competencies, career “ladders” within
an organization, and consistent and fair salary and pay structures.
“HR
is working to create a collaborative partnership with each division
that will enable people to achieve excellence and job satisfaction
in their work environment,” Powell said.
In
addition, HR has developed a new-employee orientation program
that includes a short video overview of the Institute. A monthly
newsletter (HR
Polytechnote) has been developed to keep employees
informed of HR initiatives, new staff, and other personnel related
news of campus. There are also plans to implement an Institutewide
Staff Communication Committee to improve and enhance communication
between management and staff.
“We’re
working to develop programs to support people so they can be
their best; that’s the most important thing,” Powell
said.
Rensselaer,
General Motors Partner to Offer Dual Master's Degree
Rensselaer
and five other universities have formed a partnership with General
Motors to offer its employees a dual master's degree program,
combining an advanced technical degree with a second degree
in management.
Rensselaer
and five other universities have formed a partnership with
General Motors to offer its employees a dual master's degree
program, combining an advanced technical degree with a second
degree in management.
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To
be eligible for the program, students must first earn a technical
master's degree offered through the GM Technical Education Program.
Technical degrees are provided by Purdue University, the University
of Michigan at Ann Arbor, Carnegie Mellon University, Kettering
University, and Rensselaer.
Students
can then apply for a second master's degree in management, pursuing
either a focused Master of Science in Management degree from
Rensselaer or a general MBA from Indiana University.
Several
of the academic credits earned for the technical degree can
go directly toward the management degree. Students can thus
receive a second master's degree with 15 to 39 additional credit
hours, instead of the traditional 30 credit hours (M.S. in Management)
or 60 credit hours (MBA).
The
rollout of the dual degree program will take place in the fall,
with classes for the new management degrees beginning in January
2002.
Student
Company Honored by Software Alliance
ProductivityNet,
a company in Rensselaer's Business Incubator made up almost
entirely of undergraduates, was recognized as "Promising
New Enterprise" at this year's Tech Valley Software
Alliance luncheon on April 17 at The Desmond.
ReQuest MultiMedia, a company begun by Rensselaer students
in 1998, garnered the "Significant New Technology"
award.
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ProductivityNet,
a company in Rensselaer's Business Incubator made up almost
entirely of undergraduates, was recognized as "Promising
New Enterprise" at this year's Tech Valley Software Alliance
luncheon on April 17 at The Desmond.
ReQuest
MultiMedia, a company begun by Rensselaer students in 1998,
garnered the "Significant New Technology" award.
"These
awards recognize the dramatically increased role that software
and other technology companies play in the Capital Region,"
said Craig Skevington '75,chairman of the alliance.
Not
surprisingly, both companies have won the Rensselaer-Lucent
Business Plan Competition, which provides $3,000 in startup
funding and an additional $20,000 in venture capital. Additionally,
ProductivityNet obtained a $250,000 investment from iDeal Partners,
an Albany-based investment group. It was the largest amount
ever given to an entirely student-run startup.
"We
are truly flattered to be recognized with this award,"
said Vinny Pasceri '01, president and founder of ProductivityNet.
"This award has launched a number of successful area high-tech
businesses. The Software Alliance and the Center for Economic
Growth have pooled powerful resources to put the Capital District
on the map for technological advancement."
When
it debuts in June, ProductivityNet's first product, intranet
Management Solution (iMS), will enable a systems administrator
to manage the company's network over the Web or by using any
wireless device. This will be the first product of its kind
in the marketplace. For more information, go to www.productivitynet.com.
ReQuest's
first product was AudioReQuest, which converts songs from CDs
and cassettes to MP3 format and stores them on your PC's hard
drive. Audio ReQuest garnered major awards from Popular Science,
Dealerscope, and Sound & Vision magazines
in 2000. For more information, go to
www.request.com.
Rensselaer
has garnered national attention in a variety of media outlets
recently.
For
a more complete listing, go to: www.rpi.edu/web/News/home.html
In
His Own League
In an April 9 profile in Sports Illustrated, NHL hockey
star and league-assist record-holder Adam Oates '85 speculated
about the identity of Rensselaer's $360 million donor. "It's
the largest donation ever by an individual to a university,
but get this. . ." Oates says in the article, ". .
.The guy gave the money anonymously. So he sets this record,
but nobody knows who he is. Kind of mysterious. . ."
Engineurs
U.S.
News & World Report,
in its annual guide titled "America's Best Graduate Schools,"
featured Rensselaer graduate student Matt Freshman in a story
about the close relationship between engineering and entrepreneurship
at Rensselaer.
No
Suit, No Sleep, Big Business
The
Chronicle of Higher Education profiled 21-year-old
entrepreneur Vinny Pasceri '01 and Rensselaer's Business Incubator.
The Chronicle called Rensselaer's Incubator "perhaps the
best example" in the country.
Entrepreneurship
for All
The New York Times and The Kansas City Star carried
stories about Trustee Mike Herman's $1 million donation to establish
entrepreneurship throughout the Rensselaer curriculum.
Why
Not Shoot?
In a Los
Angeles Times opinion piece, Selmer Bringsjord,
director of the Minds & Machines Lab, said recent school
shootings beg a bigger question that society is not asking—how
(and why) should morality be applied?
SUCCESS
SUCCESS
Magazine ranked Rensselaer sixth on its annual
list of the 50 "Best Entrepreneurial Business Schools"
in the nation.
Protein
Folding
Chemical & Engineering News featured an article written
by biochemist Wilfredo Colon, detailing the promises of protein
folding.
Physically
Fit in IED
Twenty-six
teams in Introduction to Engineering Design (IED), a
required course for all second-year engineering students, presented
their final projects Wednesday, April 25.
Projects
that coupled technology with fitness were anything but mundane
as students demonstrated a pedal lawnmower that uses rotary
blades spring-mounted for uneven terrain, a workout office chair
that incorporates anaerobic workouts and aerobic biking, and
a "Techno Twisting Exercise Routine" that mixes music
and light cues to pace and track the movement and performance
of the players. Other projects included a "smart"
punching bag and a flywheel exercise bike.
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The
Ecstensions Exhibition, which took place at the Arts Center of
the Capital Region in downtown Troy, incorporated the work of
Rensselaer M.F.A. students from Scotland, Mexico, Yugoslavia,
and other countries around the world.
