Great summary, Tony/Troy, thanks very much. I was born and raised in Troy, child of two RPI grads, one of whom worked at RPI for 30+ years, grew up going to RPI games, and I'd never heard all that.
Back to the coaching search, as others have said, surely this has been in the works for some time - particularly given how quickly the decision was announced. I would imagine that they've had a short-list or target list for a while, too. But even though they need to be mindful of recruitment timelines, I hope they take their time to conduct a really rigorous interview process that finds the right fit for RPI from an athletics, culture and academic standpoint. They have to get this one right.
I'm not sure how desirable the RPI would be. Generally a one-bid league to NCAAs, high academic standards, and potentially some question over financial commitment. But a good hockey tradition, an arena that could be really good if renovated properly, and a school that in general is doing well in sports right now. Lots of potential, but won't be an easy job.