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Post by greeky on Dec 10, 2012 13:59:24 GMT -5
How do you feel about Shirley, the RPI pres, getting paid $2,340,441 per year? According to USAToday, in 2010, second best in all USA private schools.
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Post by modorney on Dec 10, 2012 17:37:20 GMT -5
Not too well.
Basically, Shirley is a fundraiser and a doggone good one. Rensselaer needed a bigger endowment and they hired her, and she did the job - the Rensselaer Plan raised a billion or so. However, the job is done and Rensselaer needs a leader now, and someone else can use her as a fundraiser.
Rensselar has challenges - it has a reputation of nickel and diming the students to death, and a short term focus on money. Scholarships are based on grades (like most schools), but the "vortex" kills your grades. The vortex is a system where only a certain number of A's, B's, etc. is given. So, it is hard to hit the books hard and keep a 3.5, or so, when a handful of totally one-dimensional students get most of the A's, etc. (Remember, the word "nerd" was invented at Rensselaer) And your lower GPA prevents you from transferring.
Professirs are poor teachers, and are generally inaccessable. This is because Troy is a poor place to live, and any decent prof will want to live where his kids go to a school system that feeds top colleges. So they live far from the campus. Or teach somewhere else - Worcestor, Boston, Rochester,...
Shirley never addressed this problem,, and, in fact, the faculty council gave her a no-confidence vote.
Alumni participation is poor (16 percent) and Shirley never addressed this. Shirley never had acacemia experience, she came from government agencies, etc.
RPI is in a high crime city (not their fault) and the students have created a plethora of activities and a well run student "union" (not a union like Teamsters, but an "activities board"). Probably the best in the country - RPI is rated as "most things to do on campus." Of courtse, high crime means few women - most families won't send their daughters there, when there are equal optoins in safer cities.
I'm hoping someone hungry will scoop up Shirley, she can get money for them, which RPI doesn't need.
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Post by modorney on Dec 10, 2012 22:16:30 GMT -5
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Post by modorney on Dec 10, 2012 22:38:36 GMT -5
Rensselaer, like Trinity (in Hartford) lies in the middle of a slum city. As such, crime is rampant and this makes it difficult to attract female students. In addition, Troy is a long way (3+ hours) from New York City or Boston, which makes it difficult for internships. Only a limited number of faculty will live near RPI, since the schools for their kids are terrible, and job opportunities for their spouse is similarly poor.
The best thing RPI can do is move. Relocating a million square foot campus would cost a quarter billion, but those dollars are like "dog years". It is much easier to raise money for buildings, than for professorship chairs or other intangibles. In its past, RPI has had three chances to relocate.
In the early sixties, Dallas built a small campus and attempted to attract RPI. Dallas has SMU and TCU, as well as Texas Arlington, but none of these colleges are at the level of Rice. But RPI chose not to move (UT Dallas now occupies the buildings). A similar offer was made to move to Connecticut to an unspecified site "between Storrs and Hartford". This offer had nowhere near the financial offer that Dallas made (essentially a free campus). This plan has existed over the past thirty years, or so, and would occasionally surface.
The third relocation plan is one I am unfamiliar with. I just know it existed, but if anyone knows more, let me know.
The existing campus has been proposed as a Federal Government site for an administrative center (Social Security, Census, VA, etc.) and is 90% usable space for that purpose.
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Post by Tom Earp on Dec 11, 2012 14:44:17 GMT -5
Mike isn't everything bigger and better in Texas? LOL
But, maybe Shriley was exceptional at her job no matter how limited her scope is?
Do Presidents really do that much good except to bring in $$ for the school?
But as to location, that is totally a different matter. I am sure R P I will never be big in Troy, N Y. but with out R P I Troy will be in more dire straits than with out it.
If what you say about The U S Govt. interested in the land and buildings, it would be a boon to actually move to more befecial locations?
Do you really think that this deters good educators from joining the facality?
I am thinking of situations such as Pitt. State, Ft. Hays, Ottowa Un. ,etc in Ks.
All three have been a boon to the local economy. I am sure there are many more schools that mean this much to the locals.
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Post by greeky on Dec 11, 2012 16:36:35 GMT -5
Quite a newsy and complete reply. Thanks for the info. Do you think Shirley's contract paid her a percentage of the money raised?
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Post by modorney on Dec 11, 2012 17:27:17 GMT -5
I don't exactly know her contract, but I would guess that the trustees reward her for performance. She is good at fundraising, and keeps on being good.
There is a certain point where money isn't everything, and Rensselaer seems to have plenty of money. There are dimensions of Rensselaer (or of any top college) that are hard to measure, but easily ranked. One thing Rensselaer does well is making "good use" of greeklife. Fraternity alumni give twice as much money as independents, and, despite the lack of good social activities outside the campus, greeks don't seem to have too many major risk violations. One death about 9 years ago, and the usual underage drinking cases. But a drunk (6 beers) freshman walking a quarter mile back to the dorms is not highly risky (compared to driving 10 miles, etc.) Women generally don't get bothered, mainly since there aren't that many.
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Post by greeky on Jan 8, 2013 19:37:59 GMT -5
Wonder if the U Ala. rakes in mucho more $$$ this year? Need it to give Saban a bonus.
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Post by modorney on Jan 9, 2013 9:04:21 GMT -5
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Post by Tom Earp on Jan 9, 2013 14:33:40 GMT -5
Bonuses? Would H Q have the money for that?
Might sound good on paper but would it be worth while? If there is no juice from the leaders then it will trickle down to the chapters.
Fraternity is/was supposed to be about the love of Brothers. Some lose it when they graduate while others step up above the call of duty just for that reason!
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