[2] Ricketts first arrived at RPI in 1871, at only fifteen years of age, where he joined the Alpha chapter of Theta Xi fraternity as their 84th brother.
He was an average student and participated in few campus activities, the exception being his membership on the editorial board of the 1874 edition of the Transit, the school yearbook.
[4] He was described in the campus newspaper, The Rensselaer Polytechnic, as "one of the most popular instructors in the Institute, a man whom we have honored for years, and whom we expect to see bringing great credit to his Alma Mater in his present position.
Ricketts further expanded the Institute's curriculum, adding degree programs in mechanical, chemical, metallurgical, aeronautical and industrial engineering as well as a school of architecture in 1929.
[7] To fund these developments, Ricketts successfully solicited money from various groups and individuals, most notably a $1 million gift from Margaret Olivia Sage in 1906.
Another large contribution of $5 million over several years came from John M. Lockhart, a member of the class of 1887, who was a Pittsburgh steel maker, financier and a son of a founder of Standard Oil.
[10] In 1933, he began the construction of a building for the aeronautical, chemical and metallurgical engineering departments, but did not live to see its completion in 1935, as he died in office on December 9, 1934.