Since 1999, Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson has led an extraordinary transformation of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute of Troy, New York and Hartford, Connecticut into a world-class technological research university. Rankings for Rensselaer among national universities have risen substantially under Dr. Jackson’s tenure, and the number of students applying to join the freshman class has tripled.
Dr. Jackson’s initial vision of remaking Rensselaer was captured in an ambitious strategic effort known as The Rensselaer Plan. Over the last 15 years, more than $1.25 billion has been invested in The Rensselaer Plan, and the campus has been transformed by state-of-the-art research platforms that include the Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies, the Curtis R. Priem Experimental Media and Performing Arts Center, and the Center for Computational Innovations, which houses the most powerful supercomputer at an American private university.
Dr. Jackson prepared Rensselaer for leadership in areas of research that are of fundamental significance in the 21st century by focusing on “signature thrusts” in computational science and engineering; biotechnology and the life sciences; nanotechnology and advanced materials; energy, the environment, and smart systems; and media, arts, science, and technology. Her tenure has been marked by a tripling of sponsored research awards and expenditures, and the hiring of over 325 new tenure track faculty members, as well as advances in the curriculum, an increase in scholarships, growth of undergraduate research, and bold innovations in student life, including the award-winning First Year Experience and Clustered Learning, Advocacy, and Support for Students (CLASS).
Dr. Jackson secured for Rensselaer a $360 million anonymous unrestricted gift in 2001—one of the largest gifts in history to any university in the United States. In 2004, she launched the $1 billion Renaissance at Rensselaer capital campaign, which was expanded to $1.4 billion in 2006. The campaign met that goal nine months ahead of schedule in 2008, exceeding all previous fundraising efforts at Rensselaer.
In 2014, United States President Barack Obama appointed Dr. Jackson as Co-Chair of the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. The Board assessed issues pertaining to the quality, quantity, and adequacy of intelligence activities; the effectiveness of organizational structure, management, and personnel; and the performance of all agencies of the federal government engaged in the collection, evaluation, or production of intelligence, or the execution of intelligence policy.
From 2009 to 2014, Dr. Jackson served on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST), which assists the White House in policy formulation in the many areas of science, technology, and innovation that are crucial to strengthening the economy and increasing opportunity. Dr. Jackson was also co-chair of the President’s Innovation and Technology Advisory Committee (PITAC), part of the PCAST. In that role, in 2011 she co-authored a report to the President offering an overarching strategy for revitalizing the leadership of the nation in manufacturing. In 2013, Dr. Jackson was named by President Obama to the Advanced Manufacturing Partnership Steering Committee 2.0, charged with making recommendations for invigorating the manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy.
In 2016, United States President Barack Obama awarded Dr. Jackson the National Medal of Science, the nation’s highest honor for contributions in science and engineering. In 2015, Dr. Jackson received the inaugural Alice H. Parker Award from the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce, which honors women leaders in innovation.