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Sept.
23, 2002 |
President Holds Town Meeting
President Shirley Ann Jackson held a campuswide
town meeting on Sept. 18 at which she detailed new research developments,
introduced new faculty and staff, and fielded questions about
new facilities and construction.
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Thomas Griffin
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"Rensselaer is in the midst of a wave of
new and exciting developments, propelled by The Rensselaer Plan
and fulfilling its goals," said Jackson. "Understanding
the overarching vision helps each of us to see where — and
how — and why — the things each of us does every day
are part of the achievement of the greater mission."
She began by heralding Rensselaer's students as
"our raison d'etre."
The Class of 2006, for example, joins Rensselaer
with an average SAT score of 1310, continuing a five-year trend
that has seen this metric increase by 44 points. Twenty percent
are Rensselaer Medalists, and 65 percent were in the top 10 percent
of their high school classes. Ten percent are underrepresented
minorities. There are 69 "legacies" - those students
who are relatives of our alumni - a figure that has tripled in
six years.
"Rensselaer is in the midst of a wave
of new and exciting developments, propelled by The Rensselaer
Plan and fulfilling its goals," said Jackson. "Understanding
the overarching vision helps each of us to see where —
and how — and why — the things each of us does every
day are part of the achievement of the greater mission."
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She praised the faculty, calling them "an
extraordinary group of teachers and researchers." The Institute
recently welcomed 41 new faculty members (66 over the past two
years) and 32 in entirely new positions.
Appointments in several key positions have brought renowned leaders
to Rensselaer and have augmented an already strong faculty that
include a Nobel Laureate, members of the National Academy of Engineering
and the National Academy of Sciences, as well as 17 faculty members
who have received the prestigious Faculty Early Career Award from
the National Science Foundation.
Jackson also praised Rensselaer's staff members
and said that, "investing in professional development is
a 'cannot lose' venture that banks Rensselaer's future."
She talked about Rensselaer's burgeoning physical
facilities, which are needed due to the rising quantity and quality
of research by "our eminent faculty [who] are driving a research
renaissance at Rensselaer." Total research funding exceeded
$50 million for the first time in 2001 and was more than $58.5
million in 2002.
And she thanked the community for its patience
during a time of change.
"I know that a period of construction can
be unsettling," she said. "These [improvements] are
temporary and we all must be ready to adapt to the exigencies
of the projects."
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