While attracting the best students and the most talented faculty is crucial, Rensselaer requires more than talent to be transformative in the world at large: we must have the right land, buildings, and infrastructure to undergird the education and research that occurs here. Our academic facilities must enable the radically innovative, technology-intensive Rensselaer pedagogy. Our research laboratories must have cutting-edge capabilities, and the flexibility to support explorations we cannot yet imagine today. The residential and recreational facilities for our students must contribute to a vibrant living and learning environment.
The Rise of a Music Program
Enhanced resources are essential to the new B.S. in Music, which was implemented in fall 2017. An investment to upgrade and expand the music center in West Hall will enable the creation of a world-class facility, and allow for the establishment of an endowment that will ensure that future needs of the facility are met. The proposed upgrade advances important Institute priorities by bolstering our capacity to support the Media Arts, Science, and Technology Signature Thrust; providing facilities in support of current arts programs (including Art_X@Rensselaer); and supporting pedagogical innovation through competency-based teaching and learning in audio and video production.
Center for Science
To ensure our leadership into our third century, we need to bring together Rensselaer scientists, currently spread across the campus, into a state-of-the-art Center for Science with advanced laboratories, research, and teaching spaces. This Center will serve as a great crossroads for the multidisciplinary collaborations that characterize Rensselaer research; raise our research productivity, rankings, and visibility; make room for the pioneering faculty we recruit and the talented students who want to learn from them; and allow us to advance groundbreaking investigations addressing the greatest of global challenges.
East Campus Athletic Village (ECAV) Phase II
Our upcoming campaign also will allow us to complete a second phase of our East Campus Athletic Village (ECAV), to support both athletic competition-and all of the many lessons in leadership arising from it-as well as a healthy living and learning balance for all our students. This proposed expansion will include an indoor Olympic-quality swimming pool, outdoor tennis courts, practice and playing fields for field hockey and lacrosse, and an indoor field house for track and field, and tennis. These professional-quality facilities will allow Rensselaer to host regional, national, and international athletic tournaments. As we all know, athletics is a great force for community, for the spectators as well as for the players. In building Phase II of ECAV, we will deepen that sense of community-as well as encourage our students to grow in every aspect of their lives.
Houston Field House East End Complex
The Houston Field House, the current home of our Division I men’s and women’s ice hockey teams, seats more than 4,800 fans, and features six locker rooms, numerous offices, and several meeting spaces. In order to ensure these student-athletes realize their full potential as individuals and team members, we are committed to providing them with first-rate student support services, exceptional coaching and teaching, and world-class facilities. New facilities, or upgrades to current facilities, have been completed by over 75% of hockey programs in the ECAC and Hockey East. Evidence shows there is a strong correlation between investing in new or upgraded facilities and winning NCAA titles for our competitors.
While our new locker room, lounge, video room, and weight room have helped us remain competitive, we have much more work to do in order to bring home the national championship. Potential enhancements to the East End of the Houston Field House include an educational area and hockey improvement room to enhance the student-athlete experience; four new corporate suites and event spaces; a complete renovation of stadium seating; upgrades to restrooms, and additional facilities; and renovations to visiting teams’ locker rooms.
Baseball Facility
We recently completed the first phase of a state-of-the-art baseball facility. Support from alumni and friends will make it possible for us to provide the successful Rensselaer baseball program with world-class facilities, in line with those of our competition.