The Hartford Graduate Center was established in 1955 by Rensselaer and the United Aircraft Corp (a predecessor to
Raytheon Technologies) to address a shortage of scientists and engineers in southern New England. United Aircraft bought and equipped the first building and provided annual financing so that its employees could earn graduate degrees at no individual cost. These programs are also made open to professionals employed at other area organizations. The Graduate Center began with 220 students and seven faculty members who relocated from Rensselaer's main campus in Troy, NY to Connecticut, along with adjunct professors from local industry. An additional campus was founded in Groton, Connecticut, to respond to the educational demands of
Electric Boat, a subsidiary of
General Dynamics. By the late 1990s, with students from more than 100 corporations, attendance grew to nearly 2,000 students. In December 1996, trustees of both Rensselaer and the Hartford Graduate Center voted to transfer Hartford's assets and have it more directly controlled by RPI. Under the new arrangement, Hartford had its own board of trustees, named by the Rensselaer president. ==Campus==