A Letter from Phil Kirk
RTI Showers
Prestige on the State
 The
Research Triangle Park is an international showcase that brings
much publicity, prestige, and 40,000 jobs to the state of North
Carolina.
RTI — The Research Triangle Institute — is engaged in innovation
and research that also is unmatched anywhere else in the world.
There are researchers from more than 125 disciplines working on
projects that tackle complex national and global problems. RTI’s
annual report gives a glimpse of some of the unique research projects
that are ongoing.
For example, last year survey researchers, chemists, and child
development experts developed new approaches for assessing
children’s exposure to environmental pollutants. Also, a
multidisciplinary team of psychologists, ethnographers, and
statisticians investigated innovative strategies for curbing the
global spread of AIDS. These are just two examples of some of the
impressing projects the talented RTI staff is working on.
Dr. Victoria F. Haynes, president and CEO, points out that RTI
emphasized strategic planning last year that emphasized two
objectives: to lead in innovation and to generate financial strength
for reinvestment.
“Our innovative approaches are working,” she says. “We grew in
size and stature during 2000, making progress toward achieving our
vision of being recognized as the premier independent research
institute in the world.”
RTI’s revenue grew 16 percent last year, hitting the $239 million figure, which was a percentage point beyond its
goal. Net income continued to grow, increasing by 19 percent to nearly
$10 million. The staffs increased from 1,738 to 1,826 and new research
offices were opened in Portland, Ore., and Pretoria, South Africa. RTI
now has 11 locations on four continents.
While RTI does work around the world, it recently helped the new
Golden LEAF Foundation in North Carolina establish its decision-making
process for awarding grants. The foundation supports activities that
will improve social and economic conditions in economically affected
or tobacco-dependent regions of our state.
Another area of particular interest is RTI’s decade-old Education
Reform Support, a comprehensive and systematic approach to sustained
education reform. ERS provides technical assistance and advice in
specific technical aspects of education reform, such as education
finance, learning assessment and information systems. RTI staff has
been especially active in education reform efforts in South Africa,
Ethiopia, Bulgaria and Guinea.
Since 1972, the U.S. Department of Education has conducted
longitudinal studies focusing on critical transitions experienced by
young people as they develop, attend school, and embark on their
careers. RTI conducted the fourth follow-up of the study last year,
and the results are expected to be used to examine the role that
schools, teachers, community and family play in promoting growth and
positive outcomes.
Last year saw RTI staff members receive unprecedented peer recognition
for their scientific accomplishments. They won awards, presented their
work at international meetings, taught university courses, and served
on national panels.
Earl Johnson Jr., chairman of Southern Industrial Constructors, chairs
the 29-member board, which includes NCCBI board members Molly Corbett
Broad, Nannerl O. Keohane, and Phail Wynn Jr. NCCBI President Emeritus
Ivie L. Clayton is a longtime board member.
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