Fall 2002


Great Days:  A Letter From the President


Building On The "Vision's" Momentum

I would like to start this column by saying thank you. On behalf of the whole Rose-Hulman family I want to express our appreciation to the thousands of people who are making our "Vision to be the Best" fund-raising campaign such a success.

Eight years ago, we embarked on an ambitious program to raise $100 million for various campus projects in 10 years. We raised more than $202 million as of this fall. The amount of money raised and the time in which it has come in are astounding. When we started "Vision to be the Best" I personally had no doubt we would hit our initial goal, but I could not foresee accomplishing as much as we have to this point.

Not everybody shared my initial optimism. When we began the "Vision" planning process back in the early 1990s, there were some naysayers who said a college our size could not raise $100 million in 10 years. After we surpassed that goal with $116 million in 1999, some people said continuing it to 2004 with a $200 million goal was impossible. Today, we celebrate an alleged impossibility that has become a reality.

So much has been accomplished thanks to the generosity of the alumni, friends, parents, faculty, staff, corporations and businesses that support Rose-Hulman. Just within the past three years that support enabled:

  • Increased scholarship aid on campus.

  • Rose-Hulman Ventures to become a force in Indiana business development and in providing project-based educational experiences for our students.

  • Construction of Hatfield Hall that provides a new theater and alumni center on campus.

  • Development of a new applied biology/life sciences program.

  • Construction of White Chapel.

  • Enhancement of the campus computing infrastructure.

  • Expansion of the studio lab concept in various academic departments.

  • Creation of a new microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) program on campus.

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  • Development of a web mall project called Engenius Solutions that lets students market their project ideas on the Internet.

  • Improvements of our outdoor track and field facilities.

  • Expansion of the Homework Hotline.

That list provides just a sampling of the many projects we have been able to conduct because of support for "Vision to be the Best."

While we have taken time to celebrate those accomplishments this fall, much work remains to be done. We surpassed our dollar goal for the campaign, but some of the projects on our "Vision" goal list were not totally funded. Some donors contribute to the college by designating their gift to a specific area. We, of course, honor their wishes, but that occasionally leaves other goals underfunded.

Unmet goals include:

  • Faculty professional development opportunities. We must enable our faculty to stay current in their fields to give our students the most up-to-date education possible.

  • Endowment for faculty chairs to retain and recruit the best teachers. Rose-Hulman competes with other top colleges for the best faculty in the country. An endowment for faculty chairs would give us a competitive edge in that recruitment.

  • A new building for applied biology, biomedical engineering and chemistry. What the physical sciences were to our society in the 20th century, the life sciences will be in this century, and we lack the proper facilities to meet the needs of that program.

  • Technology for renovated laboratories and to support curricular innovations. Our hands-on education requires the latest equipment and space to let our students learn by doing.

To meet those goals, we are continuing the "Vision to be the Best" through 2004. Momentum is with us and now is the time to make progress. Our fortunes are on the rise and we must continue to make big steps to provide the best education possible. Rose-Hulman has positioned itself for the future, and our success demands more success. We owe it to our students to provide the best education possible.

As we work toward meeting those goals, I want to remind you they were not developed in a vacuum. They are part of a long-term planning process that started in the early 1990s with the Commission on the Future of Rose-Hulman. We have incorporated ideas from all Rose-Hulman constituents and from leaders in business and industry. We continue to seek that input as we update our planning process.

I’m excited by what we have accomplished and by the challenges and opportunities that lay ahead. Again, I express my gratitude for what you have done to this point. I would encourage you to pause and toast Rose-Hulman’s success. Then I would ask you to join me as we continue to bring our "Vision to be the Best" into focus.

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