Series of Events for Rensselaer Community Dec. 4-6 

Members of the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute community, including students, faculty, alumni, and staff, will participate in “Celebration Weekend: A Tribute to the Transformation of Rensselaer,” Dec. 4-6. The three-day program will chronicle the first decade of the successful implementation of The Rensselaer Plan, the 10th anniversary of the tenure of Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson, and the successful completion of the Renaissance at Rensselaer: The Campaign for Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

The Celebration Weekend series of events will provide members of the campus community with opportunities to participate in and enjoy the story of the transformation of Rensselaer through presentations, tours, and interactive sessions with faculty, students, and administrators showcasing breakthroughs in Rensselaer research and learning environments. The event also will recognize the achievements of members of the campus community who have worked to implement The Rensselaer Plan.

“We have come a long way together over the last 10 years. This celebration of a decade of transformation at Rensselaer is an opportunity to showcase our extraordinary people, highlight the new programs, and tour our spectacular platforms,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson.  “Most importantly, it is an opportunity to thank all of those in the Rensselaer community — our donors, trustees, faculty, students, staff, administration, alumni, and other special friends — for their tireless efforts in elevating Rensselaer as top-tier, world-class technological research university, with global reach and global impact. We are, indeed, better positioned than ever to change the world.”

“Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson is a visionary whose leadership, organizational, and managerial abilities have transformed the Institute in ways that we could not have imagined,” said Samuel F. Heffner Jr. ’56, chairman of the Rensselaer Board of Trustees. “The Board of Trustees looks forward to joining the university community in celebrating President Jackson’s 10th anniversary of leadership, and to expressing our appreciation for all she has accomplished on behalf of the Institute, and on behalf of the thousands of people who have benefited from her tireless work as an educator and an advocate.”

Special program highlights include celebration concerts featuring Aretha Franklin on Friday, Dec. 4, and violinist Joshua Bell on Saturday, Dec. 5. Both invitation-only events will be held in the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center concert hall.

On Saturday, Dec. 5, beginning at 9 a.m., President Jackson will deliver a speech titled “Renaissance at Rensselaer: A 10-Year Retrospective.” Saturday’s events also will include special interactive sessions focusing on the Institute’s signature strengths in biotechnology and the life sciences, computational science and engineering, energy and the environment, and media, arts, science, and technology.