Sept. 9, 2002

Expanding Top Faculty on the Troy Campus

Rensselaer has been making significant investments in its faculty to help reach the goal of becoming a top-tier technological university. For the 2002-2003 academic year alone, the university has hired 41 new tenured/tenure-track faculty members on the Troy campus.

New faculty gathered with President Jackson at the reception on Sept. 5. Photo by Thomas Griffin

Thirteen new positions have been added this year, bringing the total number of new positions over the past two years to 32 across almost all disciplines, according to Provost Bud Peterson.

The new hires bring the number of tenured and tenured-track faculty this fall to 362, an increase of 28, or 8.4 percent, from fall 2001.

"The faculty growth over the past two years is consistent with the growth posited in the Rensselaer Plan and is very impressive, both in terms of the total number of new faculty and the number of new positions," Peterson said.

"Perhaps even more impressive is the quality of the new faculty we have been able to attract to Rensselaer," Peterson added. "This is a truly exciting, energetic, and well-qualified group of individuals, who, when coupled with the outstanding faculty who are already here, will help Rensselaer reach the goals outlined in the Plan."

Rensselaer also has recently hired several new department chairs. They include Michael Century, arts; Selmer Bringsjord, cognitive sciences; Donald Siegel, economics; and Robert Palazzo, biology.