![]() ![]() Well, I know you have a lot on your plate, more than most of us may realize, and you don't need opinionated bozos like me overwhelming you with suggestions.īut again, welcome back. A school apparel store, perhaps, something akin the to MIT Coop at Kendall Square in Cambridge? I can understand that you might be reluctant to dive into city rebuilding, but even just an RPI-themed business or two would go a long way. But there are also many vacant storefronts and the strip, it's fair to say, could use a little push. There are private dorms in the neighborhood now and a few student-oriented businesses. ![]() I've long thought the neighborhood, with its dense row of storefronts, could emerge into something akin to the lively student strips you often find near colleges and universities. So I'll just briefly mention Congress Street in the Mt. I could go on all day with these ideas, but I'm running out of space. Yes, the school is a serious place where important work is undertaken, but universities can still be convivial. The idea is to have some fun, a word which, in all honesty, has not often been associated with RPI. Here's a perhaps-goofy suggestion: Hold an annual neutral-site hockey game against Union, preferably outside - a Capital Region "Winter Classic," if you will. Get the story behind Chris Churchill’s latest columns. In recent years, though, in part because of COVID-19 restrictions that felt excessive, the community hasn't felt welcome at games and RPI certainly hasn't generated buzz for its teams. The hockey team, in particular, was something Troy celebrated. ![]() But sports are a way that schools build ties with their communities, as used to be the case at RPI. Now, I would never suggest that athletics should be a top priority of a university president. I don't want to come off as some sort of philistine, but couldn't EMPAC show a movie like "Encanto" every once in a while or host, say, a bluegrass festival? You know, events that would get normies on campus.Īnd speaking of that, let's talk about sports. That's largely because its programming is so darn esoteric. But hardly anybody has ever been in the place. EMPAC, otherwise known as the Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, is one of the great achievements of Jackson's tenure, a spectacular venue of which any city would be proud. Throw a big party at EMPAC and invite the public to celebrate. Hold a ceremony for the scholarship winners. I know there are more existing connections between RPI and Troy High than people may realize, but highly publicized Collar City Awards - I'm just spit-balling on the name here - could highlight those links while encouraging local kids to think seriously about careers in science or engineering. OK, here's the first idea: Annual scholarships for graduates of Troy and Lansingburgh high schools. If you do mind, well, please understand that I have space to fill and a deadline to meet. And I hope you don't mind if I share a few thoughts on how RPI can change minds about the school and forge a better partnership with the city and the region. You said something similar in a recent interview with Times Union education reporter Kathleen Moore, suggesting that RPI can be for the city and region what MIT has been for Cambridge and greater Boston. City officials say you've been meeting with them, listening and talking about working together. Happily, you're already attempting to change that. And though Jackson didn't seem to think so, perception is important. That isn't to say that Jackson didn't work with the city in all sorts of important ways, but, fairly or not, the perception persists that RPI is a place apart, peering imperiously at Troy from its perch on the hill. She is a brilliant woman, a trailblazer, but she at times had a my-way-or-the-highway approach that alienated people, both on campus and off. For one to thrive, the other also needs to be succeeding.Īs I'm sure you've heard, the relationship between the school and the city was not always great under your predecessor, Shirley Ann Jackson. But the city and its university are intertwined. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is first and foremost about educating students and ensuring that their years on campus are the best they can be. That is not your primary concern or responsibility, I know. The renaissance downtown has in some ways masked the ongoing decay of neighborhoods to the north and south. It is easy, as the saying goes, to enjoy Troy.īut not all is great. The downtown waterfront looks better than ever. There's a new energy downtown, with apartments going up and beautiful, older buildings undergoing renovation. Many of the changes have been positive, of course. ![]() And I imagine it's vastly different from when you graduated in 1981. The city sure has changed in recent years. ![]()
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