Rensselaer Welcomes Record Class

Record numbers of women (339) and underrepresented minorities (143) are enrolled in the Class of 2004 so far this year. More than 1,320 students make up the incoming class, with the highest yield rate since 1983 at 33 percent, according to Teresa Duffy, dean of enrollment management.

The number of enrolled Rensselaer Medalists (226) and legacy students (57) also increased, by 17 percent and 4 percent respectively. Selectivity improved by 5 percentage points to 73 percent, the best since 1985.

In preparation for the needs of incoming students, 12 classrooms have been technologically upgraded with audio systems and new teaching podiums. In addition, 235 new laptop connections have been added for student use in six classrooms.

"Among our entering students, the interest in technology - how to use it, create it, manipulate it, and change it - abounds," Duffy says. "What is especially gratifying about the incoming first-year class at Rensselaer is its diversity. We have obviously developed programs and opportunities that speak to the full array of the world's citizens - a wonderful compliment to this university's people."

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U.S. News & World Report places Rensselaer among the nation's top 50 universities and rates the school's undergraduate engineering program as 17th nationwide. The rankings appear in magazine's Sept. 11 issue and in "America's Best Colleges," the publication's best-selling guide for prospective students and their parents. The complete rankings are available at www.usnews.com.

Rensselaer shares the rank of 49th with Pepperdine University and theUniversity of Texas at Austin. Last year the Institute ranked 51st in the national survey.

The school's undergraduate engineering program continues to be ranked in the top 20. Because the Institute shares a four-way tie with Texas A&M, the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, and Virginia Tech, the ranking, although essentially the same as last year, changed numerically from 14 to 17.

"America's Best Colleges" also includes stories that feature three different Rensselaer programs. One story showcases Rensselaer efforts to help young entrepreneurs. Another features services to students with learning disabilities. A third story highlights Rensselaer's leadership in lighting education and research.

The article "Start an E-Company," features Rensselaer graduate Frank McDermott who, with help from Rensselaer's business incubator, started OfficeTravel.com as an undergraduate computer science student. The story also highlights the university's new RPIdeaLab.

"If School Is a Struggle" profiles Sharon Berger, a learning disabled student who beat the odds and earned two degrees from Rensselaer. "Berger succeeded by tapping into the wealth of resources that RPI offers learning-disabled students," says the guide. "She found tutors, organized her daily tasks with help from counselors, and requested untimed tests in quite rooms."

In a commentary piece titled "Look Beyond the Top 20," Edward Tenner points out that rankings don't reveal all of a college's treasures. As an example he says "Rensselaer Polytechnic is a leader in lighting studies."

"America's Best Colleges" will be available on newstands until June.

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Unionization Effort Fails

The Rensselaer service and maintenance employees have overwhelmingly voted to maintain a non-union work environment.
In the Aug. 23 election, held by the National Labor Relations Board, the 174 employees turned down representation by Local 200D of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) AFL-CIO.

The result of the vote was:

Against the union 117
For the union 44
Challenged ballots 6
Voided ballots 1
Did not vote 6

"To those of you who supported the institution in the election, I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks," said Curtis Powell, vice president for human resources, in a message to the Rensselaer community immediately following the vote. "To those who in good conscience did not support the institution, we hope to regain your trust as we go forward," Powell said.

"It is time for us to come together and help to make Rensselaer all that it can be. Some legitimate concerns were raised, and I am committed to resolving these issues in a culture of cooperation," Powell said. "My sincere thanks to all who participated in the election and to our supervisors and managers who provided information so that our employees could make an informed choice."

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President to Hold Town Meeting on September 7

"I invite everyone to attend," PresidentJackson said. "The realization of the Rensselaer Plan depends on the best thought and the best work of all of us. Please join us for a discussion of our initial priorities and how you can be part of accomplishing them." 9/1/00

Time/Princeton Review's "Best College" Guide
Praises Rensselaer

Rensselaer is "arming its enrollees with the latest and greatest," according to Time/Princeton Review's "The Best College for You in 2001." This annual publication for prospective students and their parents--on newstands now--praises Rensselaer's high-tech facilities.
Technological tools in the classrooms at Rensselaer "are adding not just convenience, but a whole new way of learning," says an article titled "Wired Ivory Towers."

"In Burt Swersey's Inventor's Studio class, students are encouraged to come up with ideas for inventions and turn them into reality in a workshop setting," the guide says. "The round room where Swersey conducts his class has several different workstations, each with two computer monitors. From their workstations, students can research patents online, send e-mail to an expert, create animated drawings of their inventions and project the animations from their computers to an overhead screen for class discussion."

Outside the classroom, Rensselaer students live, work, and play high-tech, says the guide. "After years of planning and a $9.3 million investment, RPI will open its renovated student union, complete with its own wireless network. A new dorm, Barton Hall, is designed to mimic a modern business travelers' hotel, complete with fully wired conference rooms on each floor and work centers with fax machines, copiers and phones."

The guide features photos of the Mueller Center, the university's new $6 million fitness facility where "data ports allow students to virtually train with a partner across the room or across the country."

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State Approves Master of Science in IT

New York State's Department of Education has approved Rensselaer's new Master of Science in Information Technology (M.S. in IT). The master's degree builds on Rensselaer's success with its bachelor of science in IT (www.rpi.edu/IT ) program, which began in 1998.

M.S. in IT students choose a specific focus area such as e-commerce, networking, digital publishing, technological entrepreneurship, or hardware design. Each student must take one course in database systems, telecommunications, software design, management of technology, and human computer interaction (HCI). The M.S. in IT culminates in a master's project or seminar, or a design-oriented or studio-oriented course.

"What sets Rensselaer's IT program apart from others is its elasticity," says Jim Napolitano '77, interim vice provost for IT. "Students can get a global feel for how IT applies across a range of disciplines and then choose where they want to focus.

Applications for the bachelor of science in IT have increased 106 percent this year, and enrollment has also grown by 41 percent. Enrollment in the master's programs is expected to double over the next two years.

The M.S. in IT program is administered by the faculty of information technology, which comprises faculty members from Rensselaer's five academic schools.

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