Troy, N.Y. - President Shirley Ann Jackson today joined with Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's trustees, leadership team, faculty, and alumni along with guests representing the nation's political and technological leadership in celebrating the opening of the Institute's Washington, D.C. office.

"Opening an office in the nation's capital is a key component of our mission to make Rensselaer a top-tier, world-class technological research university," President Jackson said. "We will use this office as a platform to participate more directly and more consistently in the decision-making process that affects research universities and their roles in the technological research community."

President Jackson noted that the office, located in the Hall of the States, "not only stands in the shadow of the Capitol Dome, but also houses the offices of nearly 30 states and their governors, including those of Governor George Pataki of New York and Governor John Rowland of Connecticut, where our campuses are located, as well as national media and public policy organizations."

Guided by The Rensselaer Plan - an overall strategic vision for the university - over the past four years Rensselaer has also opened new research and education facilities, recruited distinguished scholars to the faculty, attracted record numbers of high-quality and ever-more diverse students, improved the quality of the student learning experience, and expanded the non-academic aspects of student life on campus. Rensselaer is also expanding its research base. In the last five years, annual research awards have increased 68 percent.

"Rensselaer is on the move, and our office in Washington D.C. is yet another example of the renaissance under way," said Larry Snavley, vice president for government and community relations at Rensselaer. "Our new home-away-from-home will allow us to work more effectively with the Congress, Executive Branch agencies, professional societies, and the educational and research communities. Whether discussing biotechnology, nanotechnology, terahertz, lighting, energy, or interconnect technologies, to name just a few, our academic leadership and distinguished faculty will have a greater opportunity to be more directly involved in public policy debate and decision-making."

In an April speech to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), President Jackson discussed the importance of science in addressing many of the major issues of the day and urged her colleagues in the scientific community to become more actively engaged in the public policy arena.

"If the world is to achieve peace for all nations, and plenty for all peoples, it will be scientific and technological developments, and their intelligent and sensible deployment, that enable these achievements. And, if we are to achieve security for our nation, and for the world, that, too, will be attributable in large measure to technological innovation, its wise application, and the appreciation and understanding of science and technology by the public," President Jackson said at the AAAS 2003 William D. Carey Lecture. Jackson is president-elect of the AAAS.

Rensselaer's new Washington, D.C. office is located in Suite 590 of the Hall of the States, 400 North Capital Street, NW in Washington, D.C.

Contact: Theresa Bourgeois
Phone: (518) 276-2840
E-mail: bourgt@rpi.edu