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| It was 1955. The commercial airline industry was just starting to really "take off." |
The idea of flying across the country or to a foreign land was in its infancy. Likewise, the role of flight in the military arena was growing by leaps and bounds. The demand for aircraft and its components was increasing by triple digits. United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) – a conglomerate of Pratt & Whitney Engines, Hamilton Standard Propellers, Chance Vought Aircraft, and Sikorsky Helicopters – was actively doing its best to attract engineers to its primary operations in and around Connecticut. In fact, its advertisements in major publications consistently included a notice to engineers that it needed "experienced engineers in many categories."
The same growth was seen in other major hubs in aviation development, California becoming one of the most active. Major employers there were offering engineers continued education while working – and paid for by the employer – as a benefit to attract new talent. UAC knew it needed to offer better and reached out to major universities in Connecticut and neighboring states to build masters programs for its developing talent pool.
Of the universities contacted, the esteemed Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York, replied favorably and quickly committed to offering programs designed with the working professional in mind. Sure enough, Rensselaer found a facility now in Hartford, Connecticut, – less than five miles from UAC's major operations – and opened with courses and programs that fall of 1955.
Since then, Rensselaer has proudly helped over 20,000 engineers and business leaders achieve their graduate and executive education objectives. UAC later became United Technologies Corporation (UTC) as we know it today. It can be said that the Rensselaer Hartford campus and UTC "grew up" together over the last 63 years...
And then the internet happened.
From the '50s to the late '90s, graduate school was a local choice. The working professional had to fit graduate study around their other job and life schedules, making time to be on campus after work and on weekends. Most students chose their graduate school program by proximity as the only means of access.
Then the internet brought the notion of study in blended and online models – from an array of institutions, no matter where you were or what time zone you were in. This brought the working professional a whole variety of different choices. One could fully meet the demand of life and professional commitments without ever setting foot on "campus" and still get a degree. As with every other industry, the internet leveled the playing field and brought many new and unexpected opportunities.
The early offerings of online graduate programs attempted to exactly reproduce the on-campus experience, with mixed results. As other sectors have found, trying to meet market needs with the same deliverable in a different format, as options and needs continue to change, does not always lead to the best results.
Read more...
About Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, founded in 1824, is America's first technological research university. For nearly 200 years, Rensselaer has been defining the scientific and technological advances of our world. Rensselaer faculty and alumni represent 86 members of the National Academy of Engineering, 18 members of the National Academy of Sciences, 26 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 8 members of the National Academy of Medicine, 8 members of the National Academy of Inventors, and 5 members of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, as well as 6 National Medal of Technology winners, 5 National Medal of Science winners, and a Nobel Prize winner in Physics. With 7,000 students and nearly 100,000 living alumni, Rensselaer is addressing the global challenges facing the 21st century—to change lives, to advance society, and to change the world.
To learn more, go to www.rpi.edu.
Source: Digital Journal via 24-7PressRelease
