Under her leadership from 1996 to 2003, the university expanded the possibilities of its educational mission among networks associated with its growing cadre of regional, state, national, and global partners. Recruitment and retention of students added to Albany's reputation as hosting an increasingly diverse student body, while also enhancing its high academic profile. Successful educational initiatives such as "Project Renaissance" added to the university's reputation and attracted steadily increasing numbers of applicants to its undergraduate programs; at the same time, Hitchcock's spearheading of programs in nano-technology and health-related programs expanded not only the university's reputation for excellence, but also its literal footprint.