Effective student experiences require thoughtful planning, responsible use of resources, strong partnerships, and continuous improvement. Throughout 2025–26, Student Experience strengthened its long-term capacity by investing in assessment planning, cheaper and more effective software solutions, facilities upgrades, community and campus partnerships, and more sustainable programs. These efforts focused on using data to guide decisions, improving operational efficiency, maximizing available resources, and ensuring investments continue to respond to evolving student needs.
A $1 million gift established Project Kaleidoscope, an immersive transition program that helps incoming neurodiverse students begin their RPI experience with support.
Maximizing Resources Through Data & Partnerships
Using Data to Improve Student Success
Student Experience strengthened assessment as a driver of planning and decision-making across the Division. Departments developed learning outcomes, expanded utilization and satisfaction measures, and created new approaches for evaluating student engagement and program effectiveness, supporting a broader shift toward evidence-informed decision-making.
Learning outcomes aligned with NACE Career Readiness Competencies | Developed new Residential Curriculum with defined learning outcomes | Expanded health, wellbeing, and student engagement data collection through campus-wide student health and wellbeing assessment
Modernizing Student Services
Departments invested in technology and redesigned processes to make services easier for students to navigate while reducing administrative complexity for staff. Investments ranged from international services and housing to case management and healthcare data systems.
ViaTRM implemented for International Services and Education Abroad | Leave and return processes centralized within Maxient | Expanded use of PyraMed and electronic medical records to strengthen healthcare assessment and delivery | Integrated Plaid, a new health education and risk prevention system
Investing in Student Spaces
Student Experience continued improving the physical environments where students live, learn, connect, and engage. Major facility projects addressed community-building spaces, residence halls, accessibility, and long-term campus planning.
Rathskeller renovation completed | Significant improvements advanced in Barton Hall | Residential Accessibility Audit launched | Student perspectives incorporated into Campus Master Planning | Created new one-stop Student Success Center in Library
Building Partnerships That Expand Opportunity
Collaboration with partners across RPI and beyond campus expanded the Division's ability to serve students. Partnerships supported career development, residential accessibility, integrated healthcare, graduate education, food security, housing, and other priorities that could not be advanced by Student Experience alone.
Partnerships with Westchester County, employers, alumni, faculty, and Admissions expanded career opportunities | Cross-campus collaboration improved residential accessibility | Student Health & Wellness expanded integrated care through Mantra Health | Partnership with the Capital Food Bank strengthened food security and basic-needs support | New partnership with Off-Campus Technologies introduced an off-campus housing database
Investing in the Future
Student Experience pursued philanthropic, institutional, and operational strategies designed to sustain high-impact programs over time. Major investments supported neurodiverse students, emergency assistance, first-generation students, and prevention education while identifying opportunities to reduce recurring costs.
$1 million philanthropic gift established Project Kaleidoscope | $80,000+ distributed in emergency financial assistance | $30,000 raised through the Parent Leadership Council to establish the Parent & Family Link portal | $20,000+ in annual savings generated by the Plaid prevention platform | $800,000 CSTEP grant over four to five years | $2,485,000 in total donations during the 2025–26 academic year | JumpStart Scholars Program created to sustain support for first-generation students following changes in external funding
Looking Ahead
Student Experience will continue strengthening its ability to make thoughtful, evidence-informed investments in programs, services, technology, spaces, and partnerships.
Priorities include:
- Developing a unified assessment framework measuring student engagement, learning, and outcomes across the Division.
- Expanding data-informed planning to guide strategic priorities, resource allocation, and continuous improvement.
- Continuing to modernize student-facing technology that improves access to services and streamlines administrative processes.
- Strengthening partnerships with faculty, alumni, employers, donors, and community organizations.
- Investing strategically in facilities that enhance learning, engagement, accessibility, and wellbeing.
- Continuing to evaluate programs to ensure resources are aligned with the areas of greatest student need and institutional impact.
- Investing in a new Career Ecosystem across campus to better prepare students for their careers.