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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, or RPI, is a coeducational private university in Troy, New York, near Albany, founded in 1824 by Stephen Van Rensselaer. It is the oldest technological university in the English-speaking world.

History

The school opened on Monday, January 3, 1825 at the Old Bank Place, a building at the north end of Troy. The opening was announced by a notice, signed by the president, and printed in the Troy Sentinel of December 28. The school attracted students from the State of New York, Massachusetts, Vermont, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. The fact that the school attracted students from afar is attributed to the reputation of Eaton. Fourteen months of successful trial led to the incorporation of the school on March 21, 1826 by the State of New York. In its early years, the Rensselaer School bore greater similarities with a graduate school than to a college. It drew graduates of older institutions such as Amherst, Bowdoin, Columbia, Harvard, Pennsylvania, Princeton, Yale, Union, Wesleyan, and Williams. Indeed, there was a considerable stream from Yale, where there were several teachers interested in the sciences.

Rensselaer enjoyed a period of academic and resource expansion under the leadership of President Palmer Ricketts. Born in 1856 in Elkton, Maryland Ricketts came to Rensselaer in 1871 as a student.* Named President in 1901, Ricketts liberalized the curriculum by adding the Department of Arts, Science, and Business Administration and the Graduate School. He also expanded the university’s resources and developed Rensselaer into a true polytechnic institute by increasing the number of degrees offered from two to a dozen; these included electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, biology, chemistry, and physics. During Rickett's tenure, enrollment increased from approximately 200 in 1900 to a high of 1700 in 1930.

Over its nearly two century history, Rensselaer has grown to be a premier institution of higher education in engineering and science. Rensselaer graduates developed or contributed to the development of such inventions as the cathode ray tube, the Ferris Wheel, the first practical automatic fire sprinkler, the microprocessor, an ultraviolet absorber used in sunscreen cream, ductile iron, the first graphics processor for the PC, and network electronic mail (including the @ sign in e-mail).

Academics

The current president of RPI is Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. Dr. Jackson is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the first African-American woman to earn a doctorate degree from this institution. Her career prior to becoming Rensselaer’s president has encompassed senior positions in government, as chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission; in industry and research, as a theoretical physicist at the former AT&T Bell Laboratories; and in academe, as a professor of theoretical physics at Rutgers University. President Jackson is the 18th president of Rensselaer and the first African-American woman to lead a national research university*.

Faculty

  • Number of full-time faculty: 405
  • Number of part-time faculty: 87
  • Number of full-time faculty with Ph.D., First Professional, or other terminal degree: 387
  • Percentage of full-time faculty with Ph.D.: 96%
  • Student/Faculty ratio: 14:1

The Rensselaer Plan

The university is in the midst of great change. As Dr. Jared Cohon, president of Carnegie Mellon University would explain, "Change at Rensselaer in the last five years has occurred with a scope and swiftness that may be without precedent in the recent history of American higher education." With the coming of the current president came the "Rensselaer Plan". Its goal is to achieve greater prominence as a technological research university. A large part of this is strengthening its research portfolio. New research infrastructure such as the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies have been built to support new programs. Accordingly, there is the need for a larger graduate student population. The need to attract greater funds for research is also paramount with a goal of $100 million annually. As of 2006, research expenditures have reached approximately $90 millon per annum. To enable the changes outlined in the Rensselaer Plan, the university has mounted a $1 billion capital campaign of which the public phase began in the fall of 2004 and is expected to finish by the end of 2008. The university recognizes the relatively small size of its endowment compared to its competition, as well as its relatively strong dependence on funds from undergraduate tuition to support its operations. Another aspect of the plan is to enhance undergraduate education by significantly increasing participation in undergraduate research, international exchange programs, and "living and learning communities."

Tuition for the 2006-2007 academic year for full-time undergraduate and graduate students is $32,600 (not including room, board, or other expenses).

Rankings

Rensselaer ranks among the top 50 national universities in the United States according to US News & World Report. In 2005, the School of Engineering was ranked 18th in the nation for undergraduates. In 2004, the School of Engineering was ranked 33rd in the nation for graduate students. In 2003, the Lally School of Management & Technology undergraduate program was ranked 22nd. Its Entrepreneurship program was ranked in the top tier nationally in 2005. The Multimedia/Visual Communications graduate program has been ranked 8th in 2003 and 2004. The Applied Mathematics graduate program has been 21st in the nation in 2003 and 2004. Overall, the school was ranked in the top 10 by practicing engineers and 9th by corporate recruiters*.

Research and development

Rensselaer has established five areas of research as institute priorities: biotechnology, information technology, nanotechnology, microelectronics, and modeling and simulation. Advances in these fields have the potential to effect dramatic transformations in 21st century society.

In addition, RPI is home to the United States' first on-campus high-tech business incubator. One of the largest companies to have originated in the incubator is MapInfo, a major publisher of mapping and geographic information systems software which is still headquartered in Troy, NY. Another incubator success is Vicarious Visions, a well known maker of video games.

In May of 2006, Rensselaer announced a partnership with IBM and New York State to create the Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations, a supercomputing center to be used for nanotechnology research. This $100 million center will be the world’s most powerful university-based supercomputing center and one of the 10 largest supercomputing centers of any kind in the world. *

RPI is also the professional home of David Musser, one of the primary inventors of the C++ Standard Template Library*.

Well-known researchers at RPI include:

More detail can be obtained at RPI's Research site or on RPI's News & Information site.

Campus

The campus has enjoyed five periods of expansion:

  • Initial Sites, 1824–1862
  • Climbing the Hill, 1864–1904
  • The Ricketts Campus, 1906–1935 (1940 map)
  • Post-War Expansion, 1946–1960 (1960 map)
  • Modern Campus, 1961–present (list)

Originally, located in downtown Troy, Rensselaer gradually moved to the hilltop that overlooks the city. The severe conflagrations of August 1854 and that of May 1862, known as " the Great Fire," in the downtown region prompted movement to the present site, as well as the potential for expansion that today's site offered. President Palmer Ricketts supervised the construction of the school's "Green Rooftop" Colonial Revival buildings that constitute its distinct architectural style. Buildings constructed during this period include the Carnegie Building (1906), Pittsburgh Building (1912), Quadrangle Dormitories (1916–1927), Troy Building (1925), and Ricketts Building (1935).

The campus underwent major expansion again after World War II at which time numerous dormitories were built and the Houston Field House (1949) reassembled after being moved from Rhode Island. West Hall, which was built originally as a hospital in 1869, was acquired by the Institute in 1953. The ornate building is an example of French Second Empire architecture.

The modern campus features such structures as the Rensselaer Union (1967), Folsom Library (1976), Jonsson Engineering Center (1977), Darrin Communications Center (1973), and Center for Industrial Innovation (1987). More recently, the university built a world-class research center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies. The university is currently building an expansive Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC).

Other Campuses

RPI also runs campuses in Hartford, Connecticut and Groton, Connecticut. In Hartford, Connecticut, there are graduate studies offered in Business Administration, Management, Computer Science, Computer and Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Engineering Science, Mechanical Engineering, and Information Technology.

Student body

In the 2004–2005 academic year, RPI's enrollment included 4,921 resident undergraduate, 1,234 resident graduate, 705 graduate students on the Hartford campus, and 290 distance students.* It attracts students from every state and 72 foreign countries.

Statistics for the undergraduate class of 2009:

  • Percentage of valedictorians and salutatorians: 9%;
  • Percentage of students who were Rensselaer Medalists: 24%;
  • Percentage of students in top 10% of high school class: 61%;
  • Percentage of applicants accepted: 78%
  • Average SAT combined: 1320;
  • SAT 50th Percentile: 1220-1420;
  • Average SAT Math: 686;
  • Average SAT Verbal: 634;
  • Average ACT score: 26;
  • Average high school GPA: A−/B+ *;
  • Percentage of students with SAT Math above 700: 46%;
  • Percentage of students with SAT Verbal above 700: 22%;*

Rensselaer tends to draw more students with greater financial need than those from its peer and aspirant universities with 72% of its students receiving financial aid and 20% receiving Pell GrantsU.S. News and World Report website. This poses a challenge for enrollment management.

Enrollment was small before the twentieth century and has grown steadily ever since then. Enrollment figures are as follows:

1825 10 students;
1850 53 students;
1900 225 students;
1910 650 students1911 Encyclopædia Britannica;
1925 1,240 students;
1945 1,604 students;
1950 3,987 students (Note the jump in just five years. In the 1950s, there was an explosion of dormitory construction, the so-called "freshmen dorms".)
1965 5,232 students *

"The Ratio"

According to an about.com survey, RPI has a male-to-female ratio of 3:1, which is among the highest among major American universities. This is an improvement though, as recently as the early 1990s this ratio was about 5:1 and 8:1 in the early 1980's. This ratio is often cited as one of the greatest problems on campus. One of the stated goals of the Rensselaer Plan is to "reflect the diversity of the global community" * in the student body, which includes encouraging more women to enroll.

Athletics

The school features a competitive Division I ice hockey team, the Engineers, who won NCAA national titles in 1954 and 1985. The team plays a significant role in the campus' culture, drawing thousands of fans each week to the Houston Field House during the season. The team's popularity even sparked the tradition of the "hockey line", where students line up for season tickets months in advance of the on-sale date. The official nickname of some of the school's other Division III teams was changed in 1995 from the Engineers to the Red Hawks. (In addition to hockey, the football, cross-country, tennis, and track and field teams all chose to retain the Engineers name.)

The Lacrosse team won the national championship in 1952.* The Lacrosse team also represented the United States in the 1948 Olympics in London. Ned Harkness coached the lacrosse and ice hockey teams, winning national championships in both sports.

Plans are being made for the construction of a new East Campus Athletic Village that consists of an athletic support complex, a new artificial turf field and football stadium, a gymnasium and basketball arena, a natatorium, and a field house for indoor track and field, and other indoor sports. Construction is tentatively scheduled for the summer of 2007.

Notable Rensselaerians

See article: List of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute people

RPI songs

There are a number of songs commonly played and sung at various RPI events. Notable among them are:
  • The Alma Mater (Here's to Old RPI) - sung at formal events such as commencement and convocation, also played by the Pep Band at Hockey games.
  • Hail, Dear Old Rensselaer - the RPI fight song, played by the Pep Band during Hockey and Football games, especially when the teams score. (Most RPI students don't actually know the lyrics to this song).
  • All We've Learned at Rensselaer - sung at the RPI commencement ceremonies by the Rensselyrics.

Clubs and organizations

The students of RPI have created and participate in a variety of student-run clubs and organizations funded by the Student Union. The Union is unusual in that it is entirely student-run and its operations are paid for by activity fees. About 130 of these organizations are funded by the Student Union, while another thirty, which consist mostly of political and religious organizations, are self-supporting. It is a justifiable source of pride for the institute. See the official listing of clubs and organizations for a full and up to date list.

Greek organizations are popular with about 30 social fraternities and 5 sororities. In fact, Rensselaer is the birthplace of a national fraternity Theta Xi, founded in 1864. There are two coed fraternities, one of which is a social fraternity, Psi Upsilon, while the other, Alpha Phi Omega, is a service fraternity. As such, about a third of men are in fraternities and about a fifth of women are in sororities.

Intramural sports are also very popular. Many Greek organizations compete in them as well as independents.

RPI has a very popular improvisational comedy group, Sheer Idiocy, which performs severals shows a semester. There are also several music groups ranging from a capella, such as the Rensselyrics, the Rusty Pipes and Partial Credit, to several instrumental groups such as the Orchestra, as well as a classical choral group, the Rensselaer Concert Choir.

The RPI Players is an on-campus theater group which was formed in 1929. The Players resided in the Old Gym until 1965 when they moved to their present location at the 15th Street Lounge. This distinctive red shingled building had been a USO hall for the US Army before being purchased by Rensselaer. The Players have staged over 250 productions over its history. *

Recent commencement speakers

Notable firsts

References

Notes

External links

ECAC Hockey League | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Universities and colleges in New York | Technical universities | Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools | Association of Independent Technological Universities

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | 伦斯勒理工学院 | Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute | Instituto Politécnico Rensselaer

 

This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the "Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute".

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