RPI breaks ground

[UAalum72]

RPI athletic community thrilled about village - Troy Record

 

For RPI athletes, a new ballgame - Times-Union

 

Although the T-U says it will be 4,800 seats, not the originally proposed 7,500 that the Record repeats.

 

Scrab, before you get your panties in a bunch about our slowness, note that this was first proposed by RPI eight years ago.

[scrabbleship]

Scrab, before you get your panties in a bunch about our slowness, note that this was first proposed by RPI eight years ago.

 

So it's a safe bet "Project 2010" is a misnomer and "Project 2015" or "Project 2020" would be more accurate?

[madDOG]

RPI athletic community thrilled about village - Troy Record

 

For RPI athletes, a new ballgame - Times-Union

 

Although the T-U says it will be 4,800 seats, not the originally proposed 7,500 that the Record repeats.

 

Scrab, before you get your panties in a bunch about our slowness, note that this was first proposed by RPI eight years ago.

This could be a good thing for us. McElroy could point to RPI's project and ask the holdouts of 'P2010' if they really want a D3 school in the region to have nicer facilities than us. Maybe it'll light some fires under some collective arses.

[Clickclack]

I had no idea RPI a D3 school rolled like that. $110 mil! I'm aware of their academic excellence but this is a serious commitment to athletic facilities.

[bob87]

I had no idea RPI a D3 school rolled like that. $110 mil! I'm aware of their academic excellence but this is a serious commitment to athletic facilities.

 

Bosiydid.

I didn't read the breakdown of funds, but you can bet some of the money will be spent for the division 1 hockey team that plays in a 60+ year old arena in addition to the d3 facilities.

[UA_MA_2000]

This is where some of the money is undoubtedly coming from, courtesy of the Washington Post, March 13, 2001:

 

Anonymous $360 Million Donation To RPI Sets New College Gift Record

THE WASHINGTON POST -- An anonymous donor has pledged $360 million to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the largest gift ever to a single U.S. college or university, and the latest in an extraordinary string of huge donations to higher education.

The gift to the 6,300-student school in Troy, N.Y. surpasses the $350 million pledged to MIT last year at the peak of the economic boom and stock market surge that triggered unprecedented contributions.

 

“The size of this gift is remarkable in any era and it is a transformational gift without doubt for RPI,” said Vance Peterson, president of the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.

 

At the same time, higher education officials worry that any sustained downturn in the stock market might reverse the trend. The nation’s institutions of higher education reported receiving some $18 billion in donations last year, but three quarters of the money came from just 5 percent of the donors.

 

“These gifts are reflective obviously of the appreciation in the stock market, which now seems to be headed in the other direction,” said Sheldon Steinbach, general counsel for the American Council on Education, which represents 1,800 colleges and universities. “Higher education always has been dependent on the big gift. But it is possible that the glory days of these big gifts may be coming to an end.”

 

The gift to RPI came from the same donor who in December pledged $130 million to build two high-technology centers on the 260-acre campus overlooking the Hudson River. The donor then decided to triple the gift and give the school complete discretion in its use.

[Clickclack]

Wish someone hooked us up like that.