Envisioning 2020
October 20th, 2010
Green-focus is pretty much the only new thing to campus.
While the town meeting was filled with much of the same stuff (CLASS, new hires, research, etc.). Only a few really noteworthy pieces of information though:
- Several buildings are going to be part of a sustainability initiative that involves metering energy usage. Buildings with varied ages and states of the buildings are being included in the pilot, with a designated “sustainability advocates” for each building to encourage accountability. I’m not sure who worked on this (SSTF, maybe?) but awesome job, if it really works out!
- There was also a discussion on initiatives related to biking on campus as related as sustainability as well as thefts on campus. As a part of this conversation, Dr. Jackson has offered to buy a professor a bike since his was stolen, which was pretty cool too.
Otherwise, I was kind of disappointed at the lack of news. Maybe someone will cause a ruckus in the near future. We can only hope, I suppose.
As per “2010’s” request, there were three questions besides the second point above, which was also a question:
- The first question was about minority student enrollment and why it isn’t higher. Dr. Jackson responded that it is something that’s important to the Institute and something they are working on.
- Another question was about what RPI is doing to help graduates with the job search. The answer was trying to expand the alumni network links as well as the CDC is working to expand recruiting companies on campus.
- Finally, a professor asked why manufacturing isn’t as emphasized as IT or biotechnology; however, I didn’t catch the answer. Anyone able to help me out?
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Any good questions asked? Usually that’s the best part. Would have watched the live feed, but the plugin was blocked at work.
Why is the fact that she offered to buy the prof a NEW BIKE not bigger news on campus? That’s really, really generous. She bought the football team new uniforms out of pocket a few years ago too. That got a similarly muted response. I’m new on campus and I’ve heard all kinds of things about Dr. J but all I know is that I disagree with some things she’s done and have agreed with others, just like any other leader I’ve dealt with over the years. But kind, spontaneous gestures like this should be appreciated by all, even if you disagree with her vision! Positive energy makes being part of the RPI community wayy more fun.
I attended this event in anticipation of some new vision to guide RPI through it’s next ten years (I wonder why I thought that?) and was pretty disappointed. At least I know who the new deans of res life are now!
@Donald Livingston
Of course it’s appreciated, but those football players also pay her $1.6 million compensation every year. A few hundred bucks on a bike is a drop in the bucket even though she deserves praise for her generosity.
The problems people have are with the general feel of going to school at what seems more like a corporation than a university.
Provost Dr. Palazzo is making efforts to leave RPI:
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/12/01/1390201/candidate-for-cal-poly-president.html
With respect to the faculty senate he suspended as newly appointed provost in 2007, he apparently stated:
“I don’t envision this same problem at any university in the U.S.”
What is that supposed to mean?
@Mary
Looks like Dr. Palazzo didn’t make the cut:
http://www.calpolynews.calpoly.edu/news_releases/2010/December/armstrong_president.html
Provost Dr. Palazzo will stay with RPI a while longer. Will he fix the faculty senate issue?
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/2010/12/15/1409137/cal-poly-has-a-new-president.html