“Philanthropic partnership with RPI is a pivotal element in our ongoing success. Philanthropy provides sustainable momentum for our campus – meeting the needs of our Institute and catalyzing opportunities for our students, faculty, and staff. Our RPI spirit is defined by our eagerness to envision a bold future as we prepare for our next 200 years.”
Martin A. Schmidt ’81, Ph.D.
President
Scholarship Support In Action
Adrian Clark ’27
Adrian traveled from “corner to corner” across the United States to join the RPI community. Originally from Southern California, he came to RPI for the chance to study at a leading engineering institution while also playing football at the collegiate level.
Football has proven to be a key part of Adrian’s RPI experience. As a first-year student, he discovered a welcoming, diverse group of players united by their love for the sport. These football friendships, as well as the relationships he’s developed through his involvement in Cru, have supported his RPI journey every step of the way.
Adrian chose electrical engineering as his major to challenge himself in new ways. Looking to the future, he hopes to use his abilities and education to help steward the earth in healthier, more responsible ways. He’s particularly interested in working with electric vehicles. Thanks to the scholarships he has received, Adrian is on target to graduate from RPI and pursue a bright future in electrical engineering with no debt.
Jenny Jimenez ’26
Jenny grew up in the Capital Region after immigrating from the Dominican Republic as a child. Pursuing a college degree near her family was important to her, and RPI offered the opportunity to earn an excellent education while making the best financial decision for her future.
As an electronic arts major, Jenny explores the creative side of technology while building a valuable foundation in STEM. She knows this will serve her well after RPI, when Jenny hopes to attend law school and focus on cyber law and regulating AI. She further confirmed her passion for law this past summer as an intern at a local law firm.
Jenny admits that she doesn’t know where she’d be without her RPI scholarship. Trying to navigate the college application process as a first-generation college student and immigrant was challenging, but her Weissman Family Scholarship opened the door to an incredible opportunity to pursue her dreams close to home.
Diego Guzman ’26
Diego dreams of becoming a doctor one day. A junior at RPI, Diego is studying biomedical engineering while on the pre-med track. Both fields—medicine and biomedical engineering—resonate with him, as they’re an opportunity to help others by finding or creating solutions.
When choosing a college, Diego and his family prioritized academics but also considered the financial support available. Thanks to his Jeanne and Frank M. Fischer ’64 Scholarship, RPI came out on top. The scholarship has enabled Diego to fully focus on his education and cement the knowledge he’s learning in class.
In addition to his biomedical engineering and pre-med studies, Diego stays active playing intramural soccer and participating in the Rensselaer Chemistry Society and Global Medical Brigades. He also serves as vice president of Alianza Latina, which connects Diego, a first-generation college student, to his Mexican heritage.
Skylar NeIlsen ’26
As a first-generation college student from a large family in New Hampshire, Skylar was drawn to RPI by the number of opportunities available in biomedical engineering. During her time on campus, she has been able to do research, gain laboratory knowledge, and work with a variety of machines to expand her engineering skills.
Outside of the classroom, Skylar volunteers with Engineering Ambassadors, where she helps teach STEM and do hands-on activities with students in grades K-12. She also serves as a student orientation advisor and participates in women’s mentor programs that support female students on campus. Skylar is a recipient of the E. Jane Devereaux Memorial Scholarship.
THE POWER OF PHILANTHROPY
The spirit of RPI – our drive to take on challenges facing humankind and change the world through the application of science to the common purposes of life – has inspired students, faculty, and alumni for 200 years. Thank you for your investment. We are honored and grateful that you’ve chosen to strengthen our RPI community through the power of philanthropy.
DONOR IMPACT IN ACTION
ATHLETICS
RPI Athletics updated and modernized the softball field in 2024. The Softball Enhancement Project included necessary updates and expansions to ensure RPI is ready to host NCAA Regional Softball in the future. Through the project, the outfield was updated with a synthetic turf surface to ensure year-round competition. New dugouts, a new press box, and a new scoreboard were all added to elevate Doris Robison Field to a state-of-the-art complex for our Division III program. Lastly, the branding around the field was enhanced to make our team feel like they were at home. The project was made possible by the generosity of Jim Alden ’58.
School of Engineering
State-of-the-art equipment is critical to innovative research, education, and the student experience in the School of Engineering. Generous support over the last year has helped push boundaries in a number of strategic areas. The Engineering Dean’s Excellence Fund supported the purchase of a flow cytometer/cell sorter that is advancing faculty research in biomedical engineering and human health.
School of Architecture
This fall, just as it has been for nearly forty years, a group of students from the RPI School of Architecture spent the semester at the Italian Studies program in Rome, Italy, joining the more than 800 alumni who have had a similarly life-changing experience while students at RPI. Former Italian Studies program participants, Professors Katrina ’92, ’93 and David Pacheco ’92, ’93, offered a $50,000 matching challenge to establish an endowment to ensure that all qualified students will be able to attend the Italian Studies program. An alumni experience in Rome is planned for October 2025 to celebrate this storied program and the successful establishment of an endowment to support it in perpetuity.
School of Science
Barbara G. Halat and Dr. Michael J. Halat ’73 have long supported and continue to dramatically impact our Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology. Their annual support has allowed for the department to create and fully equip an Undergraduate Instrumentation Research Suite within our Cogswell Laboratory. Research plays an integral role in our school’s vision of the modern technological university. Our current Undergraduate Instrumentation Research Suite further employs minds, models, and machines to solve hard problems.
LALLY School of Management
Several fellowships and scholarships were allocated and awarded this year in support of incoming and current Lally students, including the Albert S. Paulson Fellowship in Quantitative Financial Management in support of a Ph.D. student, the Robert G. Hawkins Fellowship for Underrepresented Students in Graduate Management Studies in support of an MBA student, and the Irene and Robert P. Bozzone ’55
Fellows in Management and Technology in support of M.S./MBA students. Stipends and financial support are critical to advancing the academic and professional development of RPI and Lally students, and would not be possible without the support of donors to the Lally School of Management.
School of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
FY24 Financial Highlights
(July 1, 2023 – June 30, 2024)
“The goal of the Rensselaer endowment is to provide lasting financial support for RPI and its mission, meeting the immediate needs of today and the ongoing needs of tomorrow. The endowment is invested under the direction of the Rensselaer Board of Trustees. It currently consists of over 900 funds, including approximately 821 individual donor-restricted endowment funds and 91 board-designated endowment funds.”
Matthew Ter Molen
Vice President
Institute Advancement