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Dec.
2 , 2002 |
Alumnus Tito Charges Students to Set Lofty Goals — and
Follow Through on Them
A standing-room-only crowd of students, faculty,
and staff filled the Heffner Alumni House Nov. 14 to listen as
Dennis Tito '64 offered economic wisdom, entrepreneurial advice,
and stories of his travels in space.
 Tito
is world-renowned for building an extremely successful investment
consulting, management, and technology firm. In 1974, he developed
the Wilshire 5000 Total Market Index, the broadest measure of
the U.S. equities market and the index watched by Alan Greenspan
and the Federal Reserve as a leading economic indicator.
Tito is also known for his April 2001 trip aboard
a Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station as the first
civilian space tourist.
Tito emphasized that budding entrepreneurs and aspiring space
travelers need to recognize their limitations, but also learn
to embrace risk.
 "When
you're young, it's OK to bet the farm, because you'll bounce back
if you aren't successful," he said. "So decide on your
goal, focus on it, and don't get sidetracked pursuing it. Jump
into it headfirst — or fail."
Tito discussed his career and life experiences
in an informal question-and-answer session with Denis Fred Simon,
dean of Rensselaer's Lally School of Management and Technology.
The event was part of the Rensselaer Alumni Association's Back-to-Campus
Speaker Series.
Photos by Fred Ricard
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