Rensselaer at Hartford

Rensselaer at Work is the online division of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, operating administratively from facilities in Hartford, Connecticut, since 1955. Until 1997, it was known as the Hartford Graduate Center. The primary focus of the division is to offer graduate-level professional education to learners across the country via its digital delivery.

History

The Hartford Graduate Center was established in 1955 by Rensselaer and the United Aircraft Corp (a predecessor to Raytheon Technologies) to address a shortage of scientists and engineers in southern New England. United Aircraft bought and equipped the first building and provided annual financing so that its employees could earn graduate degrees at no individual cost. These programs are also made open to professionals employed at other area organizations.

The Graduate Center began with 220 students and seven faculty members who relocated from Rensselaer's main campus in Troy, NY to Connecticut, along with adjunct professors from local industry. An additional campus was founded in Groton, Connecticut, to respond to the educational demands of Electric Boat, a subsidiary of General Dynamics. By the late 1990s, with students from more than 100 corporations, attendance grew to nearly 2,000 students.

In December 1996, trustees of both Rensselaer and the Hartford Graduate Center voted to transfer Hartford's assets and have it more directly controlled by RPI. Under the new arrangement, Hartford had its own board of trustees, named by the Rensselaer president.

In 1997, the Hartford Graduate Center was renamed Rensselaer at Hartford, and after a new digital transformation, it has become Rensselaer at Work.

Campus

From 1955 to 2023, the Hartford center had a landscaped campus readily accessible from both Interstates 84 and 91. The center of the campus contained the main building, the "Tower Building" which contained about 30 classrooms, each seating 10–50 persons. Adjacent to the Tower Building was "Seminar Hall", with additional classrooms and a small auditorium, which was rented for conferences and special events. Since moving to an entirely digital format of instruction for working professionals, the Institute has closed both the Groton and Hartford facilities, with faculty and staff distributed across the US.

Notable alumni

* Erroll M. Brown, USCG rear admiral, 13th District Commander (Ret.)
* Thomas J. Haas, American academic
* Jon Hall (programmer), board chair, Linux Professional Institute
* Richard Mastracchio, engineer and NASA astronaut
* Steven H. Ratti, USCG rear admiral, Joint Interagency Task Force West Commander (Ret.)
*Jack Swigert, engineer, politician, Apollo 13 Astronaut
* John S. Thackrah, Assistant Secretary of the Navy (former)
* Dennis Tito, engineer, entrepreneur, world's first space tourist

See also

* Houman Younessi, assistant dean of academic programs, director of RISE

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Rensselaer At Hartford
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Private universities and colleges in Connecticut
Technological universities in the United States
Education in Hartford, Connecticut
Universities and colleges established in 1955
Buildings and structures in Hartford, Connecticut
Universities and colleges in Hartford County, Connecticut
1955 establishments in Connecticut