Sept. 16, 2002

Rensselaer Medal Winners Visit Campus for Day of Activities

More than 300 recipients of the prestigious Rensselaer Medal converged on campus Sept. 14 for a day of events honoring them for their outstanding achievements in math and science, and giving them a taste of life at Rensselaer.

Medal Day Celebration attendees and their families toured campus, participated in discussions about academics, admissions, and financial aid, and got acquainted with Rensselaer by talking with students, faculty, and staff.

And the Medal recipients also received a pleasant surprise: Teresa Duffy, dean of enrollment management, announced that winners would be offered a $15,000-per-year guaranteed merit scholarship should they be accepted and subsequently choose to enroll at Rensselaer. That's a $5,000, or 50 percent, hike in the Medal scholarship's value.

"Because about 40 percent of the Medals are awarded to women and half of the winners live outside of the Northeast, President Jackson's decision to raise the Medal award represents her continued commitment to increasing the diversity of the student body, and further enhancing the quality profile of incoming first-year students," said Duffy. "We want these students, and by giving them some extra funds, we are telling them that the university will help to make Rensselaer an affordable — and compelling — choice for their higher education."

Created in 1916, the Rensselaer Medal recognizes high school juniors who have distinguished themselves in mathematics, science, and extracurricular activities. It was developed to motivate those students to pursue careers in science, engineering, and technology. The Rensselaer Medalists who are part of the Class of 2006 have an average SAT score of 1344 and 88 percent of them ranked in the top 10 percent of their respective high school classes. What's more, they represent 20 percent of the enrolling class — which is the most ever, according to Duffy.