1985 --- Dr. Shirley Ann Jackson ---- Begins advising New Jersey governor Tom Kean on how the state should invest in science and technology at its research universities.

Shirley Ann Jackson 

 FREng

  (born August 5, 1946)

Since arriving at RPI, Jackson has been one of the highest-paid university presidents in the nation.^[18] 

 Her combined salary and benefits have expanded from $423,150 in 1999–2000 to over $1.3 million in 2006–2007 and to $2.34 million in 2010.^[19][20] 

In 2011 Jackson's salary was $1.75 million.^[21] In 2006–07, it is estimated she received another $1.3 million from board seats at several major corporations.^[19]
 
The announcement of layoffs at RPI in December 2008 led some in the RPI community to question whether the institute should continue to compensate Jackson at this level, maintain a $450,000 Adirondack residence for her, and continue to support a personal staff of housekeepers, bodyguards and other aides.^[19] 

In July 2009, the news reported on the construction of a 10,000-square-foot (930 m²) mountain-top home in Bolton, New York, overlooking Lake George. 

A water-quality activist raised concerns about possible environmental hazards from the construction of a driveway, but according to Department of Environmental Conservation officials, the work was in compliance.^[22]

In its 2009 review of the decade 1999–2009, McClatchy Newspapers reported Jackson as the highest-paid currently sitting college president in the US, with a 2008 salary of approximately $1.6 million.^[23]