This early volume was written by the third director of the Rensselaer Institute in an effort to develop the school in a variety of ways: to broaden its curriculum, strengthen the faculty, expand physical facilities, and improve conditions for students. The book describes a number of technological institutions in Europe, and proposes steps the Institute should take toward Greene's vision of "a true polytechnic." Also referred to as the "Greene Report," the volume was reprinted in 1949 under the title The True Idea of a Polytechnic Institute.

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The Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute: Its Reorganization In 1849-50, Its Condition at The Present Time, Its Plans and Hopes for the Future.
Benjamin Franklin Greene, D.H. Jones & Co.: Troy, NY (1855).
Institute Archives and Special Collections, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

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