Rensselaer has undergone tremendous change under the leadership of Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. From my view as Grand Marshal, student body president and as such voice of the student body, I believe what has happened in the past ten years is nothing short of remarkable.

Students now attend a private research university that is consistently ranked in the top 50 for best colleges in the United States; we are nationally acclaimed for individual merit and cutting-edge education. We have emerged into new fields of study, including biotechnology and electronic media.

Ground-breaking ideas have been constructed and completed; the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, and most recently the East Campus Athletic Village; the largest athletic construction project to date at Rensselaer.

Students have tremendous opportunity at Rensselaer, and that includes beyond the classroom; more than 180 clubs, 23 intercollegiate athletic teams, and 35 Greek organizations complete the student life experience.

When students graduate, they leave with incredible opportunity; they enter job fields with salaries that rank among the highest-paid among their peers. This is due to the vision and determination of our 18th President, Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson. The student body is thankful for her contribution to our higher education and to the increase in value of a Rensselaer degree.

ABOUT THE GRAND MARSHAL

The Grand Marshal is the highest elected student leader at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a position created in 1866. The Top Hat is the official symbol of the Grand Marshal.

Michael Zwack is a member of the Class of 2011 and is enrolled in the Accelerated Management Law Program through the Lally School of Management and Technology. He was elected in April of 2009 as the 143rd Grand Marshal of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, serving as the student body president and chair of the 40th Rensselaer Union Student Senate.

ABOUT RENSSELAER POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824 and located in Troy, New York, is the nation's oldest technological university. The university offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees in engineering, the sciences, information technology, architecture, management, and the humanities and social sciences. Institute programs serve undergraduates, graduate students, and working professionals around the world. Rensselaer faculty are known for pre-eminence in research conducted in a wide range of fields, with particular emphasis in biotechnology, nanotechnology, information technology, and the media arts and technology. The Institute is well known for its success in the transfer of technology from the laboratory to the marketplace so that new discoveries and inventions benefit human life, protect the environment, and strengthen economic development.

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