Features: March 4, 2002

Rensselaer Tuition Set at $26,400

The Rensselaer Board of Trustees has set undergraduate and graduate tuition at $26,400 for the 2002-2003 academic year. The 6.37 percent increase in tuition reflects the growing cost of providing a world-class technological education at Rensselaer.

Faculty Renewal
More than 65 new faculty members have been or will be hired this year and next. This includes the creation of new positions, including constellations, and the hiring of faculty to fill vacancies and replace professors who are retiring. This far-reaching renewal of the faculty and the arrival of a large contingent of new, research-active professors will greatly enhance scholarship and teaching at Rensselaer.

Facilities Improvements
Rensselaer is spending more than $17 million in
FY '02 and another $17 million in FY '03 to upgrade campus facilities. These improvements to existing academic buildings, residence halls, the information technology infrastructure, and other facilities go far beyond the pace of expenditures in recent memory.

Transformation of South Campus
Rensselaer has recently launched a $255 million construction program that will completely transform the south campus and advance research and teaching through the addition of a center for biotechnology and interdisciplinary studies, an experimental media and performing arts center, a parking garage, and other facilities.

Moving Forward in Difficult Times
Faced with an economic downturn, a number of private universities are cutting programs, halting new hiring, and postponing expansion. Not so at Rensselaer. To better serve its students and to respond to the greater-than-ever demand for world-class technological research and teaching, the Institute is boldly moving forward with the aggressive initiatives set forth in The Rensselaer Plan.