This year, 1,378 students will receive degrees from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute on Saturday, May 29, at 10:30 a.m. in the stadium at the Institute’s new East Campus Athletic Village (ECAV). They represent the next generation of leaders, engineers, scientists, entrepreneurs, patent holders, game designers, and innovators, in fields ranging from engineering to architecture, from fine arts to science, from game design to information technology, and from business to the military.

During the Institute’s 204th Commencement ceremony, Rensselaer will award a total of 1,475 degrees. They include: 240 master’s degrees, 68 doctoral degrees, and 1,167 bachelor’s degrees. Some graduates have earned more than one degree. 

A Global Community
In 2010, graduating students come from 42 states, in addition to New York. The Class of 2010 also contains graduates from 22 other nations, including: Austria, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Columbia, Egypt, Ecuador, India, Pakistan, Peru, Russian Federation, South Korea, Taiwan, and Turkey.

Making the—Perfect—Grade
Sixteen undergraduate students receiving bachelor’s degrees earned a perfect 4.0 grade-point average.

Taking the Podium
Peter R. Orszag, a noted economist, the 37th director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, and a member of President Obama’s Cabinet, will deliver the 2010 Commencement Address. At 41, he is the youngest Cabinet member in the Obama administration. Prior to his Cabinet appointment, Orszag was director of the Congressional Budget Office. He was the Joseph A. Pechman Senior Fellow and deputy director of economic studies at the Brookings Institution. Under President Clinton, Orszag served as Special Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, and as senior economist and senior adviser on the Council of Economic Advisers.

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson will also address members of the Class of 2010. President Jackson is the 18th president of Rensselaer. Since taking office in 1999, she has led an extraordinary transformation of the university under the visionary Rensselaer Plan, including new platforms for education and research such as the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, the Computational Center for Nanotechnology Innovations, and the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center. A theoretical physicist, she chaired the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1995 to 1999, and currently is a member of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology.

Described as a “national treasure” by the National Science Board, she is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and the American Philosophical Society, a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and other professional societies, and a director or trustee on a number of prestigious boards.

Class President Samuel Punshon-Smith, a student who majored in both mathematics and physics, will also address the class. The Ellicott City, Md., native is the recipient of the Max Hirsch Prize, awarded to a senior in the department of mathematical sciences who has demonstrated outstanding ability in his or her academic work and also gives promise of outstanding success in a career in mathematical sciences. Two years ago, Punshon-Smith and Mathew Pevarnik, also a physics major, traveled to Switzerland to begin what they both expected to be a whirlwind dip into the amazing arena of particle physics. The students spent the summer at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in the foothills of the Swiss Alps. The accomplished students worked with elite research teams from dozens of nations around the world.

At Rensselaer, as class president, Punshon-Smith organized a council of peers to oversee the representation of the Class of 2010 in areas that included designing class events, activities, and fostering school spirit. He has also carved out time to serve as a teaching assistant in the mathematics department, and worked as a resident assistant for Residence Life. Following graduation, Punshon-Smith will continue his studies at Rensselaer, where he is currently enrolled in the Ph.D. graduate program in applied mathematics.

Honorary Degree Recipients
Peter Orszag will receive an honorary Doctor of Laws during the ceremony.

Robert S. Langer, a renowned biotechnology pioneer, who currently serves as the David H. Koch Institute Professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), will receive an honorary Doctor of Engineering degree. His research laboratory at MIT, which has been called the largest biomedical engineering laboratory in the world, is responsible for key advances in the administration of drugs through the skin without needles or other invasive methods, and important tissue engineering breakthroughs.

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City, will open the Presidential Commencement Colloquy that will be held on May 28 beginning at 4 p.m. with a special presentation. Tyson, a leading voice in astrophysics and a champion of increased science literacy for the general public, will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree

Harold E. Varmus, co-recipient of the 1989 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for his pioneering studies of the genetic basis of cancer, will receive an honorary Doctor of Science degree. Varmus is the president of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City and currently serves as co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. President Barack Obama recently announced the appointment of Varmus to serve as director of the National Cancer Institute.

New degree program’s first graduates set to cross the stage
Six students from the Lally School of Management & Technology will graduate with a master’s degree in financial engineering and risk analytics (FERA). Launched last spring, the new master’s track capitalizes on Rensselaer’s signature strengths, and is a collaboration between the Lally School’s finance faculty and other departments across campus, including computer science, applied mathematics, decision science and engineering systems, and economics. Also for the first time, graduates who studied Information Technology will be receiving bachelor’s and master’s degrees in both IT and Web Science. Earlier this year, Rensselaer became the first university in the nation to offer a degree program in the new interdisciplinary field known as Web Science, under which students expand their studies beyond technical issues to investigate issues on the Web related to security, trust, privacy, content value, and the development of the Web of the future.

Continuing Academic Excellence
Many graduates will continue their studies after graduation. Among the schools that graduates will be attending are: Albany Medical College, Columbia University, Cornell University, Dartmouth Medical School, Georgia Institute of Technology, Johns Hopkins University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Princeton University, Rutgers University, Stanford University, Texas A& M, Thomas Jefferson University, Tufts Medical School, University of Maryland, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, and Rensselaer.

Hot Jobs! Meet the Next Generation of Innovators in the Work Force
Preliminary results indicate that, despite the economic downturn, Rensselaer students – in all areas of study, including management, humanities, social sciences, information technology, and engineering – are still getting good jobs. Heading from the stage to offices and locations around the country, Rensselaer graduates will work for companies that include: Apple, Bloomberg, Boeing, Capital IQ, Constellation Energy, Edwards Lifesciences, General Dynamics, Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, PepsiCo, Procter & Gamble, Sandia National Laboratories, Walt Disney Animation, Working Buildings, and Yahoo!.

 “While this year’s cohort of college graduates is still facing a rough job market, there are some small signs of improvement,” said Tom Tarantelli, director of the Career Development Center at Rensselaer and acting assisting vice president for student life. “The market is percolating a bit, and we anticipate hiring this year will be up about four to five percent.”

Tarantelli added that some of the key factors that have helped Rensselaer students land jobs include: gaining work experience while in college; networking among family, friends, and alumni; and pursuing a non-traditional career. “Today’s employers desire students who have had some experience while in college,” Tarantelli said. “This is what gives a student the competitive edge when it comes to landing a full-time job.  Students should not be discouraged but ready to take advantage of opportunities when they become available. That is the nature of today’s market.”

Rensselaer’s Own
This year, 17 Rensselaer employees are graduating and 13 children of Rensselaer employees also are graduating.

All in the Family 
The Rensselaer degree is well-known throughout the world as a symbol of technological excellence and achievement. Rensselaer alumni are leaders. They are collaborative, able, and smart. This year, 140 members of the Class of 2010 are Rensselaer “legacies,” students with relatives who attended the university.

Student Service, Leadership, Scholarship Honored
At the May 27 Class of 2010 Zero Year Brunch and Awards Celebration, several graduating seniors will honored for their contributions to the Institute. The Willie Stanton Award, presented to the senior(s) judged to have contributed the most in service to the student body, was awarded to Sara Brown, a mechanical engineering major from Waterbury, Conn., and Daniel Hogan, an electrical engineering major from Absecon, N.J. The Livingston W. Houston Citizenship Award, honoring the “first citizen of the college,” ranking high in character, leadership, scholarship, and athletic ability, was awarded to Whitney Coleman, an electronic media, arts, and communications major from Etiwanda, Calif. The Leopold L. Balleisen Prize, honoring a senior student athlete who has won a varsity letter in at least one sport during two undergraduate years and who stands highest academically in the senior class was awarded to Ariel Hubert, a biology major from New Port, N.H.

Parting Gift
Each year at Commencement, the graduating class presents the university with a gift. The Class of 2010 is excited to present a unique and spirited gift to the university, already raising more than $10,000 toward the creation of a green roof on the Rensselaer Union Bookstore. A green roof – an example of a sustainability concept – is a plant-based multipurpose roofing choice capable of rain water filtration and collection, cultivation of edible and inedible plants, and general public enjoyment. Members of the class are also working with the Student Sustainability Task Force and Campus Planning and Facilities Design to raise funds and coordinate the project. To date, 151 members of the class, representing 15 percent, have donated to the project. In addition, 53 students became Patroons of Rensselaer with their gift of $100 or more. The class hopes to raise $50,000 to complete the project.

Awarding Excellence in Counseling
James J. Napolitano ’77, professor in the department of physics, applied physics, and astronomy, has been selected as the 36th recipient of the David M. Darrin Counseling Award, which will be presented during the Commencement ceremony. The award was established by David M. Darrin ’40 to recognize a faculty member who has made an unusual contribution in the counseling of undergraduate students. The selection of the award recipient is made by Phalanx, Rensselaer’s student leadership honorary society.  In recognizing Professor Napolitano, members of the Rensselaer community cited his charismatic nature and dedication to student mentoring.  He was recognized for his advocacy for students in and out of the classroom and through undergraduate research, which speaks to his enthusiasm for counseling and enhancement of the student experience. Several nominations also cited that Napolitano “does not hesitate to offer guidance, and advisement on graduate school selection and career options,” and that “in making the health and wellness of students a top priority, he has demonstrated special concern for the welfare of undergraduate students.”

Service to Their Country
Fifty-six students will be graduating from Rensselaer’s Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) programs and starting active military service as officers with the Army, Navy, Marine Corp, and Air Force. Commissioning signifies the beginning of a student’s active military service. Each student will take an oath of office in his or her respective branch of service in one of three commissioning ceremonies taking place on May 28 on the Rensselaer campus in the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center (EMPAC) theater.

In the Navy, 20 students will be commissioned as ensigns and two as 2nd Lieutenants into active duty in the United States Navy or Marine Corps. Those commissioned will serve in the Navy’s surface warfare, submarine warfare, engineering, and aviation warfare fields while Marines will serve in aviation and ground billets. The commissioning ceremony will take place from 9 to 11 a.m. on May 28 in the EMPAC theater. Captain S.R. Kremer, the commanding officer of the unit, will preside over the ceremony. Captain T.E. Powell, a naval aviator and former commanding officer of the USS Saipan (LHA-2), will be the keynote speaker.

In the Air Force, 13 graduates will become pilots, combat systems officers, air battle managers, air liaison officers, scientists and developmental engineers, specifically 11 from Rensselaer and two from the State University at Albany. The commissioning ceremony will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on May 28 in the EMPAC theater. Major General Darren W. McDew, vice director for strategic plans and policy, Joint Staff, The Pentagon, Washington D.C., will deliver the keynote address. He provides strategic direction, policy guidance, and planning focus to develop and execute the National Military Strategy. Through the Director for strategic plans and policy, Maj. Gen. McDew enables the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to provide military advice to the President, the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council. He was commissioned in 1982 following his graduation from Virginia Military Institute, and began his flying career at Loring Air Force Base in Maine. Prior to his current assignment, he served as director of public affairs, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force. Gen. McDew is a command pilot with more than 3,000 flying hours in a variety of aircraft.

In the Army, the Mohawk Battalion operates as the Army’s premier commissioning source for colleges and universities in the Capital Region. This year, six of the 21 graduates that will be commissioned as 2nd Lieutenants are from Rensselaer. Two-thirds of the group will go into active duty. Assignment locations for the new Lieutenants include Fort Hood, Texas; Fort Bragg, N. C.; Fort Carson, Col.; and Korea. The commissioning ceremony for Army ROTC will begin at 1 p.m. on May 28 in the EMPAC theater. Vice chief of staff of the Army General Peter Chiarelli will be the keynote speaker. Previously, General Chiarelli had served under General Casey as Commander of Multi-National Corps-Iraq.  General Chiarelli was commissioned as an armor officer in 1972 from Seattle University.

A History of Rensselaer’s Commencement: Celebrating Commencement in a New Space
This year marks the first time that the stadium at the East Campus Athletic Village (ECAV) will be used for Commencement.  More than 10,000 graduates and visitors are expected to attend the ceremony.

Last fall, the Institute officially unveiled ECAV.  The facility represents the most extensive athletic construction project in Rensselaer history, offering athletic and recreation facilities that will change the student experience dramatically. The new $92 million complex is the latest in a decade-long physical transformation of Rensselaer.

“It is often said that it is on the playing fields — and in other athletic venues — that leaders are made,” said Rensselaer President Shirley Ann Jackson. “But at Rensselaer, athletics are only part of the equation, because Rensselaer already attracts students who have demonstrated leadership potential. Rensselaer develops that potential through the totality of the student experience so that our graduates are prepared to become leaders in technologically rooted fields.” 

President Jackson also noted that “with this addition to the Troy campus, we continue to transform the student experience, to go beyond the standard, to excel — across the board, in all endeavors — and to do even more to create leaders. At the same time, with the initiation of the village concept, we bring our Rensselaer community together in a new way. Our goal — as with all that are doing to transform Rensselaer for the 21st century–is to create a unique residential undergraduate college within a world-class technological research university.”

Beginning in 1950, Commencements were held in the Houston Field House. In 1999, due to the increasing number of graduates, the ceremony was held at the Pepsi Arena (now the Times Union Center) in downtown Albany, where it was held for the next few years. In 2002, Rensselaer planned to hold Commencement on Harkness Field; however, a late May snowfall of 2.2 inches forced the planned outdoor Commencement inside to the Houston Field House. The ceremony was held outdoors on the Harkness Field since 2003.

East Campus Athletic Village Highlights
The companies involved in the overall design and construction of the East Campus Athletic Village (ECAV) facilities are Sasaki Architects, Whiting-Turner Construction, and Clough Harbor & Associates LLP. All athletic village venues are built and renovated in accordance with the NCAA, clearing the way for Rensselaer to host additional NCAA tournaments. 

The ECAV facility is under review to determine LEED silver or gold status. Energy-efficient features include skylights and other design components that maximize the use of natural light. The innovative design for the stadium employs a solar-shading screen to control glare and heat from the western sun exposure. The inspiration for the screen design is a DNA genetic bar code. Additional construction details to note include the arena roof, which is designed to support photovoltaic arrays totaling 14,000 square feet for future electric generation; and the stadium, which can support up to 20 micro wind turbines along its cornice.

Also, natural ventilation reduces reliance on heating and cooling systems. Because plants and other landscaping elements were chosen for their water conservation properties, the facility does not include an irrigation system — a decision that is expected to reduce water consumption by 50 percent. 

Of special note, the project was constructed using 1,767 tons of structural steel, and all wood used for the project was specified as coming from sustainable sources (Forest Steward Council certified). Within ECAV, visitors will rise 30 feet to the Concourse level from Georgian Terrace on a pedestrian ramp and stairs without the use of elevators. The pedestrian ramp rises at a 5 percent grade for 333 feet and is suspended from the building on 27 2-inch solid steel rods.

Phase I of ECAV encloses 176,000 square feet of space and includes two new venues for athletics — a new stadium for football, soccer, and lacrosse, along with the new arena for basketball and indoor events. The venues are all organized around a pedestrian concourse allowing for free circulation and offering additional opportunities for viewing events and socializing.

Notable Moments in Commencement History
As Rensselaer has evolved, so have its Commencement ceremonies. According to Institute Archives and Special Collections, here are a couple of interesting facts:

• Rensselaer’s first Commencement was April 26, 1826, in the old Bank Place in Troy.  Asa Fitch, a member of the class of 1827, recorded the event in his diary. The graduates delivered demonstration lectures on scientific subjects, probably the first of their kind in American education, in language described by Fitch as “plain, familiar…no one attempting to be elegant or flowery in his discourse.” 

• Commencement was not held on campus until 1913 when the ‘87 Gym provided a large enough space to accommodate the ceremony. 

• The Troy Savings Bank Music Hall hosted 37 consecutive commencements, from 1876-1912.

• There were no Commencements in 1852 and 1919.  The degree program changed from one year to three years in 1850, so there was no class of 1852. The Class of 1919 graduated in December 1918 due to an acceleration of the program during World War I. Finally, there have been more Commencements than years in Rensselaer’s history because of the second world war. During the years surrounding World War II, Rensselaer accelerated the curriculum, often holding three or four Commencements in one year.

• In 1942, a handful of women were the first to enroll in degree-granting programs at Rensselaer. The first two women to receive their degrees, Lois Graham and Mary Ellen Rathbun Kolb, did so in 1946.  More than 400 women will graduate from Rensselaer this year.

• There was no Commencement speaker in 1968. New York Governor Nelson Rockefeller cancelled due to the assassination of Robert Kennedy on June 5, two days before Commencement.

• In 1976, Walter Cronkite, the American broadcast journalist best known as anchorman for the CBS Evening News for 19 years, delivered the Commencement address. Cronkite, who died this past year,  received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree.

• The first honorary degree (Doctor of Engineering) was awarded at Commencement in 1916 to Robert  W. Hunt, a long time trustee (Hunt Dormitory is named for him).

• The Rensselaer flag combines historic and contemporary elements to represent the Institute’s origins and the present. The design is based on coat of arms of Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, the great-great grandfather of Rensselaer’s founder, Stephen Van Rensselaer.  The Rensselaer flag, created in conjunction with the Class of 1994 gift, was flown for the first time in May 1994, when it was raised in front of the Houston Field House for the 188th Commencement exercises.

• One of Rensselaer’s best-known songs, “Here’s to Old RPI,” first appeared in the 1906 yearbook, Transit. It was composed by Edmund Fales and is sung today as Rensselaer’s alma mater.

• The Rensselaer Mace was created in 1999 for the first time in the Institute’s history. The mace is  carried at the head of all academic processions and is prominently displayed during academic ceremonies. The modern mace grew out of an ancient tradition to use it to preserve order. It can be carried before a high functionary as a symbol of authority.
  
  Recalling our founder’s Dutch ancestry, the tulip-shaped top of the Rensselaer Mace is made of silver with the Rensselaer Seal in the middle of the tulip bloom, which is also a symbol of prosperity. The shaft of the Rensselaer mace is made of ebony. This mace was made in the workshop of Rebecca Smith and Anton Pruden in Ditchling, a small village in East Sussex, England.

Contact: Jessica Otitigbe
Phone: (518) 276-6050
E-mail: otitij@rpi.edu