UpDate - Vol. 12, No. 25, Page 1
March 25, 1993
Provost Byron Pipes named new Rensselaer president

     R Byron Pipes, University of Delaware provost and Robert L. Spencer
Professor of Engineering, will become the president of Rensselaer
Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy, N.Y., effective July 1, the school
announced yesterday.
     Pipes, 51, will be the school's 17th president, succeeding retiring
President Roland W. Schmitt, who praised Pipes, saying, "It's a pleasure to
hand over the reins to someone who has world-class credentials in teaching,
research and relationships with industry- commitments that define RPI. He
will bring RPI to the next level of international preeminence."
     Edward E. Hood Jr., who chairs Rensselaer's board of trustees, said,
"We're thrilled that someone of Dr. Pipes' distinction has agreed to lead
Rensselaer. We have found a gifted leader for a crucial time in our
history, and we have great expectations for his presidency."
     The board of trustees selected Pipes from finalists presented by the
students, faculty, staff and alumni who served on a 17-member presidential
search committee, which began its national search in September.
     "We were proud to present someone of Dr. Pipes' credentials to the
board, and we are delighted with his selection," said Harlan Anderson, the
trustee who chaired the committee. "We are certain he will be a tremendous
president."
     University of Delaware President David P. Roselle called the
appointment "a great compliment to Dr. Pipes and to the University of
Delaware, and we wish Byron and Ruth Ellen well as they pursue a new and
exciting challenge."
     Pipes, who traveled to RPI for the announcement of his appointment
yesterday, said of his tenure at Delaware: "From my first footstep on
campus in 1974, I have found the University of Delaware to be a warm and
hospitable environment to pursue excellence and innovation in academic
programs of teaching and research. The numerous students and faculty with
whom I have worked have taught me more than I have taught and the academic
challenges we have faced together have transformed us all.
     "Ruth Ellen and I will miss Delaware and all those with whom we have
had the pleasure to work for the good of the University. We look forward to
our new leadership opportunity with great enthusiasm," Pipes said.
     "The national search for a new provost will be a major priority for
the University of Delaware," Roselle said.
     "The search process will involve many members of the faculty as we
seek to identify a senior scholar for this very important position."
     A nationally known expert in composites engineering and a member of
the prestigious National Academy of Engineering, Pipes joined the Delaware
faculty in 1974, serving in the College of Engineering as director of the
Center for Composite Materials and later as dean. He was named provost in
1991.
     Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute was founded in 1824 and was the first
institution in the United States to grant baccalaureate degrees in
engineering.
     Known worldwide for its academic programs, the institute's recognized
strength is in technology, engineering and science. A co-educational,
independent, non-sectarian university, Rensselaer has approximately 4,600
undergraduates and 1,600 graduate students.