The
Rochester Institute of Technology (
RIT) is a
private universityPrivate universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
, located within the town of
HenriettaHenrietta is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Rochester. The population was 42,581 at the 2010 census. Established in 1818, the town is named after Henrietta Laura Pulteney, Countess of Bath, daughter of Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet, a major British...
in metropolitan
Rochester, New YorkRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
,
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. RIT is among the top colleges and universities in the nation for programs in the fine arts, placing in the top 10 for many of the college's programs, including Photography #3, Glass art #2, Industrial design #8, Metals/Jewelry #8, Multimedia/visual communications #10, Graphic design #12.
History
The Institute as it is known today began as a result of an 1891 merger between the
Rochester Athenaeum, a
literary societyA literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of literature or a specific writer. Modern literary societies typically promote research about their chosen author or genre, publish newsletters, and hold...
founded in 1829 by
Colonel Nathaniel RochesterNathaniel Rochester was an American Revolutionary War soldier and land speculator, most noted for founding the settlement which would become Rochester, New York.-Early years:...
and associates, and the
Mechanics Institute, a Rochester institute of practical
technical trainingVocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...
for local residents founded in 1885 by a consortium of local businessmen including
Captain Henry Lomb. The merged institution's name at the time was
Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Institute (RAMI). In 1944, the university changed its name to Rochester Institute of Technology.
The Institute originally resided within the city of
Rochester, New YorkRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, proper, on a block bounded by the
Erie CanalThe Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
, South Plymouth Avenue, Spring Street, and South Washington Street (approximately 43.152632°N 77.615157°W). Its art department was originally located in the
Bevier Memorial BuildingBevier Memorial Building is a historic institutional building built originally for the Rochester Athaneaum and Mechanics Institute located at Rochester in Monroe County, New York. It is a three and a half brick story with ceramic trim designed by Claude Fayette Bragdon and completed in 1910.It was...
. By the middle of the twentieth century, RIT began to outgrow its facilities, and surrounding land was scarce and expensive; additionally, in 1959, the
New YorkNew York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
Department of Public Works announced a new freeway, the
Inner LoopThe Inner Loop is an expressway that encloses downtown Rochester, New York, in the United States. Although the expressway is a continuous loop, only the portion of the loop north of Interstate 490 is signed as the "Inner Loop"...
, was to be built through the city along a path that bisected the Institute's campus and required demolition of key Institute buildings. In 1961, an unanticipated donation of $3.27 million ($ today) from local Grace Watson, for whom RIT's dining hall was later named, allowed the Institute to purchase land for a new 1300 acres (5.3 km²) campus several miles south along the east bank of the
Genesee RiverThe Genesee River is a North American river flowing northward through the Twin Tiers of Pennsylvania and New York. The river provided the original power for the Rochester area's 19th century mills and still provides hydroelectric power for downtown Rochester....
in suburban
HenriettaHenrietta is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Rochester. The population was 42,581 at the 2010 census. Established in 1818, the town is named after Henrietta Laura Pulteney, Countess of Bath, daughter of Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet, a major British...
. Upon completion in 1968, the Institute moved to the new suburban campus, where it resides today.
In 1966, RIT was selected by the
Federal governmentThe federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
to be the site of the newly founded
National Technical Institute for the DeafThe National Technical Institute for the Deaf is the first and largest technological college in the world for students who are deaf or hard of hearing...
(NTID). NTID admitted its first students in 1968, concurrent with RIT's transition to the Henrietta campus.
In 1979, RIT acquired
Eisenhower CollegeEisenhower College was a small college named after U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower, located on Cayuga Lake in Seneca Falls, New York. It was founded on September 21, 1965 as a liberal arts college...
, a liberal arts college located in
Seneca Falls, New YorkSeneca Falls is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 9,347 at the 2000 census.The Town of Seneca Falls contains a village also called Seneca Falls...
. Eisenhower was not economically viable and graduated its last class in 1983.
In 1990, RIT started its first Ph.D. program, in
Imaging ScienceImaging science is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the generation, collection, duplication, analysis, modification, and visualization of images . As an evolving field it includes research and researchers from physics, mathematics, electrical engineering, computer vision, computer science,...
, which is also the first Ph.D. program of its kind in the U.S. RIT subsequently established Ph.D programs in five other fields, comprising Astrophysical Sciences and Technology, Computing and Information Sciences, Color Science, Microsystems
EngineeringEngineering is the discipline, art, skill and profession of acquiring and applying scientific, mathematical, economic, social, and practical knowledge, in order to design and build structures, machines, devices, systems, materials and processes that safely realize improvements to the lives of...
, and
SustainabilitySustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
.
In 1996, RIT also became the first college in the U.S to offer a Software Engineering degree at the undergraduate level.
Campus
The current campus is housed on a 1300 acres (5.3 km²) property. This property is largely covered with woodland and fresh-water
swampA swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
making it a very diverse
wetlandA wetland is an area of land whose soil is saturated with water either permanently or seasonally. Wetlands are categorised by their characteristic vegetation, which is adapted to these unique soil conditions....
which is home to a number of somewhat rare plant species. The campus comprises 237 buildings and 5.1 million square feet (474,000 m²) of building space. The nearly universal use of bricks in the campus's construction — estimated at 14,673,565 bricks in late 2006 — prompted students to give it the semi-affectionate nickname "Brick City," reflected in the name of events such as the annual "Brick City Homecoming." In 2009, the campus was named a "
Campus SustainabilityAll across the world, colleges and universities are looking to a sustainable future by working to become carbon neutral. Universities are taking responsibility for their environmental impact and are working to neutralize those effects...
Leader" by the Sustainable Endowments Institute.
The residence halls and the academic side of campus are connected with a walkway called the "Quarter Mile." Along the Quarter Mile, between the academic and residence hall side are various administration and support buildings. On the academic side of the walkway is a courtyard, known as the Infinity Quad due to a striking polished stainless steel sculpture (by Jose' de Rivera, 1968, 19'×8'×2') of a continuous ribbon-like
Möbius stripThe Möbius strip or Möbius band is a surface with only one side and only one boundary component. The Möbius strip has the mathematical property of being non-orientable. It can be realized as a ruled surface...
(commonly referred to as the infinity loop because if the sun hits the strip at a certain angle it will cast a shadow in the shape of an infinity symbol on the ground) in the middle of it; on the residence hall side is a
sundialA sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...
and a clock. These symbols represent time to infinity. The Quarter Mile is actually 0.41 mile (0.6598294 km) long when measured between the mobius sculpture and the sundial. Many myths try to explain the misnomer. Standing near the Administration Building and the Student Alumni Union is The Sentinel, a steel structure created by the acclaimed metal sculptor,
Albert PaleyAlbert Paley is a modernist American metal sculptor, who was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1944. He earned both a BFA and an MFA from the Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia. Paley initially worked as a goldsmith and moved to Rochester, New York in 1969 to teach at the Rochester Institute...
. Reaching 70 feet (21 m) high and weighing 110 tons, the sculpture is the largest on any American university campus. There are six RIT-owned apartment complexes: Colony Manor, Global Village, Perkins Green, Racquet Club, Riverknoll and University Commons.
Along the Quarter Mile is the Gordon Field House, a 160000 square feet (14,864.5 m²), two-story athletic center. Opened in 2004 and named in honor of Lucius "Bob" Gordon and his wife Marie, the Field House hosts numerous campus and community activities, including concerts, career fairs, athletic competitions, graduations, and other functions. Other facilities between the residence halls and academic buildings include the Hale-Andrews Student Life Center, Student Alumni Union, Ingle Auditorium, Clark Gymnasium,
Frank Ritter Memorial Ice ArenaThe Frank Ritter Memorial Ice Arena, known colloquially as "The Ritter", is an ice arena on the campus of the Rochester Institute of Technology in Henrietta, a suburb of Rochester, New York, United States. It is home to the RIT Tigers ice hockey teams and the Genesee Figure Skating Club...
, and the Schmitt Interfaith Center.
Located on the west end of the RIT campus is RIT's
Red BarnThe Red Barn is a recreational facility at the Rochester Institute of Technology. Located on the west end of the RIT campus, the large, red-painted barn is the site of the university's Interactive Adventures program...
, the large, red-painted barn is the site of the university's Interactive Adventures program.
Park Point at RIT (originally referred to as "College Town") is an 80000 square feet (7,432.2 m²) multi-use residential and commercial enterprise on the northeast corner of the campus. Park Point is accessible to the rest of the RIT campus through a regular bus service loop, numerous pedestrian paths connecting Park Point to the RIT Main Loop, and main roads. Although originally intended as added student housing, financial penalties resulting from developing on swampland led RIT to lease Park Point to Wilmorite for a period of twenty years and subsequently develop the property without the institute incurring additional fees.
Organization and administration
The current president is
William W. DestlerWilliam W. Destler is an American university professor and administrator. He is currently serving as the 9th president of Rochester Institute of Technology and has held the position since 1 July 2007, succeeding Albert J...
, formerly a senior vice president for academic affairs and
provostA provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
at the
University of Maryland, College ParkThe University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...
. Destler, the Institute's ninth president, took office on July 1, 2007, replacing
Albert J. SimoneDr. Albert Joseph Simone is a former president of the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, USA.Simone earned his Bachelor of Arts from Tufts in 1957, and his PhD from MIT in 1962....
, who retired after 15 years at RIT.
The university's annual budget for 2010–2011 is $601 million, up from $571 million in the previous year. RIT's endowment fund is worth $544 million.
The college has also been recognized in The Chronicle of Higher Education’s 2009 Great Colleges to Work For Program for a second year and is ranked among the top schools in six survey categories, including overall satisfaction with benefits, compensation and benefits, tuition reimbursement, 403(b) or 401(k) plans, disability insurance and life insurance.
The school is also a member of the
Association of Independent Technological UniversitiesThe Association of Independent Technological Universities is a group of private American engineering colleges established in 1957. The purpose of the association is to share ideas and practices that promote innovation and entrepreneurship, promote technology-oriented careers and advance...
.
Colleges
- College of Applied Science and Technology
- E. Philip Saunders College of Business
The E. Philip Saunders College of Business is the business school of Rochester Institute of Technology. In 1952, RIT acquired the McKechnie-Lunger School of Commerce in Rochester, which was renamed after E. Philip Saunders in 2006. As of winter quarter 2007, the E. Philip Saunders College of...
- B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
- Kate Gleason College of Engineering
TheKate Gleason College of Engineering is the engineering college at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The college is home to all of RIT's engineering departments except for software engineering, which is part of the B...
- College of Health Sciences and Technology (beginning Fall 2011)
- College of Imaging Arts and Sciences
- College of Liberal Arts
- National Technical Institute for the Deaf
The National Technical Institute for the Deaf is the first and largest technological college in the world for students who are deaf or hard of hearing...
- College of Science
In addition to these colleges, RIT operates three schools in Europe and one in Dubai:
- U.S. Business School in Prague (USBSIP) in Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
, Czech RepublicThe Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
- American College of Management and Technology
The American College of Management and Technology is a college of the Rochester Institute of Technology located in Dubrovnik, Croatia. It is the only school in the country which grants both American and Croatian degrees. Instruction is in English....
(ACMT) in DubrovnikDubrovnik is a Croatian city on the Adriatic Sea coast, positioned at the terminal end of the Isthmus of Dubrovnik. It is one of the most prominent tourist destinations on the Adriatic, a seaport and the centre of Dubrovnik-Neretva county. Its total population is 42,641...
, CroatiaCroatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
- American University in Kosovo
The American University in Kosovo is located in the Germia district of Pristina, Kosovo. It is affiliated with Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York....
(AUK)
- RIT Dubai
RIT Dubai is a satellite campus of Rochester Institute of Technology, New York, USA in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The college, is located in the Dubai Silicon Oasis and started offering post graduate courses in Fall 2008. In 2009, the university began its full-time graduate program...
.
Academics
RIT is known for its career focused education. The institute is chartered by the New York state legislature and accredited by the
Middle States Association of Colleges and SchoolsThe Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools is a voluntary, peer-based, non-profit association dedicated to educational excellence and improvement through peer evaluation and accreditation...
. The university offers more than 200 academic programs, including six doctoral programs across its eight constituent colleges. In 2008–2009, RIT awarded 2,483 bachelor's degrees, 912 master's degrees, 10 doctorates, and 523 other certificates and diplomas.
The four-year, full-time undergraduate program comprises the majority of enrollments at the university and emphasizes instruction in the "arts & sciences/professions." RIT is a member of the Rochester Area College consortium which allows students to register at other
colleges in the Rochester metropolitan areaThe Rochester Area Colleges is a consortium of higher education institutions in the Rochester, New York metropolitan area. Founded in 1970, Rochester Area Colleges has numerous area public and private colleges as members, and provides numerous collaborative working opportunities for colleges and...
without tuition charges. RIT's full-time undergraduate and graduate programs operate an approximately 10-week
quarter systemAn academic quarter refers to the division of an academic year into four parts, found in a minority of universities in the United States and in some European and Asian countries.-Background and trends:...
with the primary three academic quarters beginning after
Labor DayLabor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September that celebrates the economic and social contributions of workers.-History:...
in early September and ending in late May. Effective in August 2013, RIT will transition from a quarter system to a semester system. The change was hotly debated on campus, with a majority of students opposed according to an informal survey; Student Government also voted against the change.
Undergraduate tuition and fees for 2010–2011 totaled $38,925. RIT undergraduates received over $213 million in financial assistance and 92% of students receive some form of financial aid. 3,210 students qualified for
Pell GrantA Pell Grant is money the federal government provides for students who need it to pay for college. Federal Pell Grants are limited to students with financial need, who have not earned their first bachelor's degree or who are not enrolled in certain post-baccalaureate programs, through participating...
s in 2007–2008.
Among the eight colleges, 6.8% of the student body is enrolled in the
E. Philip Saunders College of BusinessThe E. Philip Saunders College of Business is the business school of Rochester Institute of Technology. In 1952, RIT acquired the McKechnie-Lunger School of Commerce in Rochester, which was renamed after E. Philip Saunders in 2006. As of winter quarter 2007, the E. Philip Saunders College of...
, 15.0% in the
Kate Gleason College of EngineeringTheKate Gleason College of Engineering is the engineering college at the Rochester Institute of Technology. The college is home to all of RIT's engineering departments except for software engineering, which is part of the B...
, 4.3% in the College of Liberal Arts, 25.4% in the College of Applied Science and Technology, 18.0% in the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, 13.9% in the College of Imaging Arts and Science, 5.7% in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, and 9.2% in the College of Science. The five most commonly awarded degrees are in Business Administration, Engineering Technology, School of Photographic Arts & Sciences, School of Art and Design, and Information Technology.
RIT has struggled with student retention, although the situation has improved during President Destler's tenure. 91.3% of freshmen in the fall of 2009 registered for fall 2010 classes, which Destler noted as a school record.
Notable academic programs
The
Imaging scienceImaging science is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the generation, collection, duplication, analysis, modification, and visualization of images . As an evolving field it includes research and researchers from physics, mathematics, electrical engineering, computer vision, computer science,...
department was the first at the Institute to offer a doctoral program, in 1989, and remains the only formal program in Imaging Science in the nation (as a multidisciplinary field—separate constituent fields of physics, optics, and computer science are common in higher education). Associations exist between the department and
RochesterRochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
-area imagery and optics companies such as
XeroxXerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
,
KodakEastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
, and the
ITT CorporationITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
. Such connections have reinforced the research portfolio, expertise, and graduate reputation of the imaging researchers and staff of the department. As of 2008, imaging-related research has the largest budget at the Institute from grants and independent research.
The
MicroelectronicMicroelectronics is a subfield of electronics. As the name suggests, microelectronics relates to the study and manufacture of very small electronic components. Usually, but not always, this means micrometre-scale or smaller,. These devices are made from semiconductors...
Engineering program, created in 1982 and the only
ABETAbet may refer to:* Abet Guidaben , former Philippine Basketball Association basketball player* ABET, Inc., a non-profit organization that accredits higher education programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology....
-accredited undergraduate program in the country, was the nation's first Bachelor of Science program specializing in the fabrication of semiconductor devices and
integrated circuitAn integrated circuit or monolithic integrated circuit is an electronic circuit manufactured by the patterned diffusion of trace elements into the surface of a thin substrate of semiconductor material...
s. The
information technologyInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
program was the first nationally recognized IT degree, created in 1993.
In 1996, Rochester Institute of Technology established the first
software engineeringSoftware Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
Bachelor's degree program in the United States but did not obtain
ABETABET, Inc., formerly the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, is a non-profit organization that accredits post-secondary education programs in applied science, computing, engineering, and technology...
accreditation until 2003, the same time as
Clarkson University-The Clarkson School:The Clarkson School, a special division of Clarkson University, was founded in 1978 as a unique educational opportunity. The School offers students an early entrance opportunity into college, replacing the typical senior year of high school with a year of college...
,
Milwaukee School of EngineeringThe Milwaukee School of Engineering is a private university located in downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. MSOE is best known for its applications-oriented curriculum, close association with business and industry, and extremely high placement rate...
and
Mississippi State UniversityThe Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
.
The 2011 US News and World Report rankings place RIT at #7 under the Regional Universities (North) category, where it received the second highest peer assessment score, which is a survey of presidents, provosts and deans from other universities judging a school’s academic excellence. RIT is also ranked #2 in the "Great School, Great Prices" category for Regional Universities (North). The 2010 America's Best Colleges ranked by Forbes.com placed RIT at #558 out of 610 colleges, while the 2011
Webometrics Ranking of World UniversitiesThe Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, also known as Ranking Web of World Universities, is ranking system for the world's universities based on a composite indicator that takes into account both the volume of the Web contents and the visibility and impact of these web publications...
rank the school at #161 out of the top 12000 institutions, and #1 under the Regional Universities (Northeastern) category. RIT's undergraduate engineering programs have been ranked in the top 64 in the country by the US News and World Report. The E. Philip Saunders College of Business was ranked #58 in the 2008 Business Week Best Undergrad B-Schools and was included in the 2009 Business Week Best Undergrad B-Schools as well. It was named one of the "Great Schools for Accounting Majors!" in The Princeton Review's "The Best 368 Colleges." and is featured in Princeton Review's "The Best 290 Business Schools" 2009 edition. RIT's undergraduate education is also recognized as one of the nation's best in the 2009 edition of Princeton Review's "The Best 369 Colleges". It is also one of the best Northeastern Colleges and in the 2010 edition of Princeton Review's "The Best 371 Colleges", RIT is ranked in the top 20 for "best career services".
The school is also featured in the
Barron'sBarron's Educational Series, Inc. is an American test preparation company, founded in 1941 as a publisher of materials to help students to prepare for college entrance examinations, and that offers online college entrance exam preparation classes...
Best Buys in Education and was named by Yahoo! Internet Life magazine as one of America’s Most Wired Colleges. The college has garnered accolades that range from Ford Foundation Grants, Fulbright Scholars, Kellogg Foundation, Edmund S. Muskie Fellows,
Ronald McNairRonald Ervin McNair, Ph.D. was a physicist and NASA astronaut. McNair died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L.-Background:...
Scholars,
Pulitzer PrizeThe Pulitzer Prize is a U.S. award for achievements in newspaper and online journalism, literature and musical composition. It was established by American publisher Joseph Pulitzer and is administered by Columbia University in New York City...
s, Student Academy Awards,
National Science FoundationThe National Science Foundation is a United States government agency that supports fundamental research and education in all the non-medical fields of science and engineering. Its medical counterpart is the National Institutes of Health...
Awards, U.S. Department of Homeland Security Fellows,
Alfred P. SloanAlfred Pritchard Sloan, Jr. was an American business executive in the automotive industry. He was a long-time president, chairman, and CEO of General Motors Corporation...
Foundation Grants, Excellence in Engineering Education Award and the
New York Foundation for the ArtsThe New York Foundation for the Arts was created in conjunction the in 1971. The organization gives grants to individual artists and writers and developing arts organizations with a mission to '.'-NYFA's Programs:...
Fellowship.
Starting in 2000, RIT began admitting students in the top of their application pools into the RIT Honors Program. Each college participates voluntarily in the program and defines their own program details. As an example, the College of Engineering focuses on engineering in a global economy, and uses much of the honors budget to pay for domestic and international trips for engineering students. In contrast, the College of Science is focused on expanding research, and provides most of its budget to student research endeavors. Students admitted to the program are given a small scholarship and have the opportunity to live in the honors residence hall.
Co-op program
RIT's
co-op programCooperative education is a structured method of combining classroom-based education with practical work experience. A cooperative education experience, commonly known as a "co-op", provides academic credit for structured job experience...
, which began in 1912, is the fourth-oldest in the world. It is also the fifth-largest in the nation, with approximately 3,500 students completing a co-op each year at over 2,000 businesses. The program requires (or allows, depending on major) students to work in the workplace for up to five
quartersAn academic quarter refers to the division of an academic year into four parts, found in a minority of universities in the United States and in some European and Asian countries.-Background and trends:...
alternating with quarters of class. The amount of co-op varies by major, usually between 3 and 5 three-month "blocks" or academic quarters. Many employers prefer students to co-op for two consecutive blocks, referred to as a "double-block co-op". During a co-op, the student is not required to pay tuition to the school and is still considered a "full time" student. In addition, RIT was listed by
U.S. News & World ReportU.S. News & World Report is an American news magazine published from Washington, D.C. Along with Time and Newsweek it was for many years a leading news weekly, focusing more than its counterparts on political, economic, health and education stories...
as one of only 12 colleges nationally recognized for excellence in the internships/co-ops category and has secured this ranking, which is based on nominations from college presidents, chief academic officers and deans, for four years in a row since U.S. News began the category in 2002. Additionally, according to the most recent PayScale College Salary Report, the median starting salary for a recent RIT graduate is $51,000 making it the highest among Rochester - area institutions.
Research
RIT's research programs are rapidly expanding. The total value of research grants to Institute faculty for fiscal year 2007–2008 totaled $48.5 million, an increase of more than twenty-two percent over the grants from the previous year. The Institute currently offers six
Ph.D.Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
programs:
Imaging ScienceImaging science is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the generation, collection, duplication, analysis, modification, and visualization of images . As an evolving field it includes research and researchers from physics, mathematics, electrical engineering, computer vision, computer science,...
,
Microsystems EngineeringMicrosystems may refer to:*Microelectromechanical systems, miniature electronic and mechanical systems less than a millimeter in size*Microsystems , a personal computing magazine of the early 1980s...
,
Computing and Information SciencesComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
, Color Science,
Astrophysical Sciences and TechnologyAstrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
, and
SustainabilitySustainability is the capacity to endure. For humans, sustainability is the long-term maintenance of well being, which has environmental, economic, and social dimensions, and encompasses the concept of union, an interdependent relationship and mutual responsible position with all living and non...
.
In 1986, RIT founded the
Chester F. CarlsonChester Floyd Carlson was an American physicist, inventor, and patent attorney born in Seattle, Washington....
Center for Imaging Science, and started its first doctoral program in Imaging Science in 1989. The Imaging Science department also offers the only Bachelors (BS) and Masters (MS) degree programs in imaging science in the country. The Carlson Center features a diverse research portfolio; its major research areas include Digital Image Restoration, Remote Sensing, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Printing Systems Research, Color Science, Nanoimaging, Imaging Detectors, Astronomical Imaging, Visual Perception, and Ultrasonic Imaging.
The Center for Microelectronic and Computer Engineering was founded by RIT in 1986. The institute was the first university to offer a Bachelor's degree in Microelectronic Engineering. The Center's facilities include 50,000 square feet (4,600 m²) of building space with 10,000 square feet (930 m²) of clean room space; the building will undergo an expansion later this year. Its research programs include nano-imaging, nano-
lithographyPhotolithography is a process used in microfabrication to selectively remove parts of a thin film or the bulk of a substrate. It uses light to transfer a geometric pattern from a photomask to a light-sensitive chemical "photoresist", or simply "resist," on the substrate...
, nano-power, micro-optical devices, photonics subsystems integration, high-fidelity modeling and heterogeneous simulation, microelectronic manufacturing, microsystems integration, and micro-optical networks for computational applications.
The Center for Advancing the Study of CyberInfrastructure (CASCI) is a multidisciplinary center housed in the College of Computing and Information Sciences. The Departments of
Computer ScienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
,
Software EngineeringSoftware Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
,
Information TechnologyInformation technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...
,
Computer EngineeringComputer engineering, also called computer systems engineering, is a discipline that integrates several fields of electrical engineering and computer science required to develop computer systems. Computer engineers usually have training in electronic engineering, software design, and...
,
Imaging ScienceImaging science is a multidisciplinary field concerned with the generation, collection, duplication, analysis, modification, and visualization of images . As an evolving field it includes research and researchers from physics, mathematics, electrical engineering, computer vision, computer science,...
, and
BioinformaticsBioinformatics is the application of computer science and information technology to the field of biology and medicine. Bioinformatics deals with algorithms, databases and information systems, web technologies, artificial intelligence and soft computing, information and computation theory, software...
collaborate in a variety of research programs at this center. RIT was the first university to launch a Bachelor's program in Information technology in 1991, the first university to launch a Bachelor's program in
Software EngineeringSoftware Engineering is the application of a systematic, disciplined, quantifiable approach to the development, operation, and maintenance of software, and the study of these approaches; that is, the application of engineering to software...
in 1996, and was also among the first universities to launch a
Computer scienceComputer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...
Bachelor's program in 1972. RIT helped standardize the Forth programming language, and developed the CLAWS software package.
The
Center for Computational Relativity and GravitationThe Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation is a research center at the Rochester Institute of Technology. It comprises faculty, postdoctoral research associates and students working in the areas of computational general relativity, gravitational waves, relativistic astrophysics, and...
was founded in 2007. The CCRG comprises faculty and postdoctoral research associates working in the areas of general relativity, gravitational waves, and galactic dynamics. Computing facilities in the CCRG include
gravitySimulatorgravitySimulator is a novel supercomputer that incorporates special-purpose GRAPE hardware to solve the gravitational N-body problem. It is housed in the Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation at the Rochester Institute of Technology...
, a novel 32-node supercomputer that uses special-purpose hardware to achieve speeds of 4TFlops in gravitational N-body calculations, and newHorizons, a state-of-the art 85-node Linux cluster for numerical relativity simulations.
The Center for DetectorsCenter for Detectors is an RIT College of Science academic research center. The CfD was founded in 2010 by Dr. Donald Figer. It is located in the . The CfD designs, develops, and implements new advanced sensor technologies through collaboration with academic researchers, industry engineers,...
, was founded in 2010. The CfD designs, develops, and implements new advanced sensor technologies through collaboration with academic researchers, industry engineers, government scientists, and university/college students. The CfD operates four laboratories and has approximately a dozen funded projects to advance detectors in a broad array of applications, e.g. astrophysics, biomedical imaging, Earth system science, and inter-planetary travel. Center members span eight departments and four colleges.
Recently, the Center for Biotechnology Education and Training (CBET) has been established. The facility was created to train future employees in the field of
biotechnologyBiotechnology is a field of applied biology that involves the use of living organisms and bioprocesses in engineering, technology, medicine and other fields requiring bioproducts. Biotechnology also utilizes these products for manufacturing purpose...
as well as to promote research in the vast field of biosciences, including bioinformatics, molecular biology, genetics, immunology, and biochemistry.
RIT has collaborated with many industry players in the field of research as well, including
IBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
,
XeroxXerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
, Rochester's
Democrat and ChronicleThe Democrat and Chronicle is the most widely circulated daily newspaper in the greater Rochester, New York area. Located at 55 Exchange Boulevard in downtown Rochester, the Democrat and Chronicle operates under the ownership of Gannett. The paper's production facility is located in the town of...
,
SiemensSiemens may refer toSiemens, a German family name carried by generations of telecommunications industrialists, including:* Werner von Siemens , inventor, founder of Siemens AG...
,
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
, and the
Defense Advanced Research Projects AgencyThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is an agency of the United States Department of Defense responsible for the development of new technology for use by the military...
(DARPA). In 2005, it was announced by Russell W. Bessette, Executive Director New York State Office of Science Technology & Academic Research (NYSTAR), that RIT will lead the University at Buffalo and
Alfred UniversityAlfred University is a small, comprehensive university in the Village of Alfred in Western New York, USA, an hour and a half south of Rochester and two hours southeast of Buffalo. Alfred has an undergraduate population of around 2,000, and approximately 300 graduate students...
in an initiative to create key technologies in microsystems, photonics, nanomaterials, and remote sensing systems and to integrate next generation IT systems. In addition, the collaboratory is tasked with helping to facilitate economic development and tech transfer in New York State. More than 35 other notable organizations have joined the collaboratory, including
BoeingThe Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
,
Eastman KodakEastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
,
IBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
, Intel, International Sematech,
ITTITT Corporation is a global diversified manufacturing company based in the United States. ITT participates in global markets including water and fluids management, defense and security, and motion and flow control...
,
MotorolaMotorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
,
XeroxXerox Corporation is an American multinational document management corporation that produced and sells a range of color and black-and-white printers, multifunction systems, photo copiers, digital production printing presses, and related consulting services and supplies...
, and several Federal agencies, including as
NASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
.
Athletics
RIT has 24 men's and women's varsity teams including Men's Intercollegiate Baseball, Basketball, Crew, Cross Country,
Ice HockeyThe RIT Tigers men's ice hockey team is one of two hockey teams representing Rochester Institute of Technology in suburban Rochester, New York. The school's men's team competes in the Division I Atlantic Hockey conference. The team has won two national championships, one each at the Division II and...
, Lacrosse, Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field and Wrestling along with Women's Intercollegiate Basketball, Cheerleading, Crew, Cross Country, Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Soccer, Softball, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field, and Volleyball.
RIT was a long-time member of the
Empire 8The Empire 8 is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division III.-Members:Full member institutions include:-Football affiliation:*Springfield College...
, an
NCAAThe National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
Division III athletic conference, but moved to the
Liberty LeagueThe Liberty League is an intercollegiate athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA’s Division III. Originally founded in 1995 as the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association, was renamed during the summer of 2004 to the current name...
beginning with the 2011–2012 academic year. All of RIT's teams compete at the D-III level, with the exception of the
Men's Ice HockeyThe RIT Tigers men's ice hockey team is one of two hockey teams representing Rochester Institute of Technology in suburban Rochester, New York. The school's men's team competes in the Division I Atlantic Hockey conference. The team has won two national championships, one each at the Division II and...
program, which joined the Division I
Atlantic Hockey AssociationThe Atlantic Hockey Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates primarily in the northeastern United States. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as an ice hockey–only conference. Unlike several other college athletic conferences, Atlantic Hockey has no women's...
in 2006. In 2010, the Men's Ice Hockey team was the first ever from its conference to reach the NCAA tournament semi-finals: The Frozen Four.
Additionally, RIT has a wide variety of club, intramural, and pick-up sports and teams to provide a less-competitive recreational option to students.
Tom CoughlinThomas Richard Coughlin is an American football coach who is currently head coach for the New York Giants of the National Football League . Coughlin has led the Giants to victory in Super Bowl XLII. Coughlin was also the inaugural head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars, serving from 1995–2002 and...
, coach of the NFL's 2008 Super Bowl champion
New York GiantsThe New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
, taught physical education and coached the RIT Men's Club Football team in the 1970s.
Currently RIT plays its Varsity Ice Hockey in Frank Ritter Memorial Arena, but in 2010 it launched the "Power Play" campaign in which they hoped to raise 15 of the 30 million dollars it would cost to build a new arena.
On November 11, 2011 it was announced that B. Thomas Golisano and the Polisseni Foundation were donating 4.5 million to the new arena.
Mascot
RIT's athletics nickname is the "Tigers", a name given following an undefeated basketball season in the 1950s. Prior to that, RIT's athletic teams were called the "Techmen" and had blue and silver as the sports colors. In 1963, RIT purchased a rescued
Bengal tigerThe Bengal tiger is a tiger subspecies native to the Indian subcontinent that in 2010 has been classified as endangered by IUCN...
which became the Institute's mascot, named SPIRIT. He was taken to sports events until 1964, when he was put down due to health complications. The original tiger's pelt now resides in the school's archives at the on-campus library. RIT helped the
Seneca Park ZooSeneca Park Zoo is a zoo located in Rochester, New York. The Zoo is home to about 300 animals, and is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums . The zoo is run by Monroe County, New York and supported by the Seneca Park Zoo Society. Larry Sorel is the Director of the Zoo and Rachel...
purchase a new tiger shortly after SPIRIT's death, but it was not used as a school mascot. A metal sculpture in the center of the Henrietta campus now provides an everlasting version of the mascot.
RIT's team mascot is a version of this Bengal Tiger named RITchie. After it was announced that the RIT Men's Hockey Team was moving from Division III to Division I in 2005, RITchie was redesigned and made his debut in the fall of 2006.
Student life
In addition to its academic and athletic endeavors, RIT has over 150 student clubs, 10 major student organizations, a diverse
interfaithThe term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...
center and 30 different Greek organizations.
Reporter magazine, founded in 1951, is the Institute's primary student-run magazine. RIT also has its own ambulance corps, bi-weekly television athletics program RIT SportsZone, pep band,
radio stationWitr is an Islamic prayer that is performed at night after isha'a and before fajr . There are a few distinguishing factors of the witr prayer that sets it apart from the fard and sunnah prayers. Witr has an odd number of rakat prayed in pairs, with the final raka'ah prayed separately...
, and tech crew.
The Institute's Gordon Field House and Activities Center is home to competitive and recreational athletics and aquatics, a fitness center, and an auditorium hosting frequent concerts and other entertainment. Its opening in late 2004 was inaugurated by concerts by performers including
Kanye WestKanye Omari West is an American rapper, singer, and record producer. West first rose to fame as a producer for Roc-A-Fella Records, where he eventually achieved recognition for his work on Jay-Z's album The Blueprint, as well as hit singles for musical artists including Alicia Keys, Ludacris, and...
and
Bob DylanBob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
. It is the second- or third-largest venue in Monroe County, depending on how one counts.
Deaf and hard-of-hearing students
One of RIT's unique features is the large presence of
deaf-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...
and
hard of hearing-Definition:Deafness is the inability for the ear to interpret certain or all frequencies of sound.-Environmental Situations:Deafness can be caused by environmental situations such as noise, trauma, or other ear defections...
students, who make up 8.8% of the student body. The
National Technical Institute for the DeafThe National Technical Institute for the Deaf is the first and largest technological college in the world for students who are deaf or hard of hearing...
, one of RIT's eight colleges, provides interpreting and captioning services to students for classes and events. Many courses' lectures at RIT are interpreted into
American Sign LanguageAmerican Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
for the benefit of hard-of-hearing and deaf students. There are several deaf and hard-of-hearing professors and lecturers, too; an interpreter can vocalize their lectures for hearing students. This significant portion of the RIT population provides another dynamic to the school's diversity, and it has contributed to Rochester's high number of deaf residents per-capita. In 2006, Lizzie Sorkin made RIT history when she became the first deaf RIT Student Government President. In 2010, Greg Pollock became the second deaf RIT Student Government President.
Fraternities and sororities
RIT's campus is host to thirty-one
fraternities and sororitiesFraternities and sororities are fraternal social organizations for undergraduate students. In Latin, the term refers mainly to such organizations at colleges and universities in the United States, although it is also applied to analogous European groups also known as corporations...
(eighteen fraternities and thirteen sororities), which make up a small percentage of the total RIT population, usually ranging between 6% and 8%. RIT built six large buildings for Greek students on the academic side of campus next to the Riverknoll apartments. In addition to these six houses, there is also limited space within the residence halls for another six chapters.
Special Interest Houses
RIT's dormitories are home to seven "Special Interest Houses" — Art House,
Computer Science HouseComputer Science House is a special interest house founded in 1976 at the Rochester Institute of Technology, made up of a group of students who share an interest in computers, community and having fun. Despite its name, students from all majors are allowed to join...
,
Engineering HouseEngineering House [EH; E-house] is a Special Interest House devoted to RIT students studying or interested in the various disciplines of engineering. Engineering House was established in 1971, and has a wide network of members and alumini. The eighth floor of Nathaniel Rochester Hall is considered...
,
House of General ScienceHouse of General Science or HOGS is a special interest house at the Rochester Institute of Technology. HOGS was established in 1998 as a house devoted to all the branches of science.-History:...
, Photo House, International House, and Unity House — which provide an environment to live immersed in a specific interest, such as art, engineering, or computing. Members of a special-interest house share their interests with each other and the rest of campus through academic focus and special activities. Special Interest Houses are self-governing and accept members based on their own criteria.
ROTC programs
RIT is the host of the Air Force ROTC Detachment 538 "Blue Tigers" and the
Army ROTCThe Reserve Officers' Training Corps is a college-based, officer commissioning program, predominantly in the United States. It is designed as a college elective that focuses on leadership development, problem solving, strategic planning, and professional ethics.The U.S...
"Tiger Battalion". RIT students may also enroll in the
Naval ROTCThe Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program is a college-based, commissioned officer training program of the United States Navy and the United States Marine Corps.-Origins:...
program based at the
University of RochesterThe University of Rochester is a private, nonsectarian, research university in Rochester, New York, United States. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The university has six schools and various interdisciplinary programs.The...
.
In 2009, the "Tiger Battalion" was awarded the Eastern Region’s Outstanding ROTC Unit Award, given annually by the Order of the Founders and Patriots of America. In 2010, it was awarded the National MacArthur Award for 2nd Brigade.
Imagine RIT
An annual festival, publicized as "Imagine RIT", was initiated in May 2008 to showcase innovative and creative activity at RIT. It is one of the most prominent changes brought to RIT by current university president,
William DestlerWilliam W. Destler is an American university professor and administrator. He is currently serving as the 9th president of Rochester Institute of Technology and has held the position since 1 July 2007, succeeding Albert J...
.
An open event, visitors to Imagine RIT have an opportunity to tour the RIT campus and view new ideas for products and services, admire fine art, explore faculty and student research, examine engineering design projects, and interact with hundreds of hands-on exhibits. Theatrical and musical performances take place at stages in many locations on the RIT campus. Intended to appeal to visitors of all ages, including children, the festival features a variety of exhibits. More than 17,000 people attended the inaugural festival on May 3, 2008 and over 25,000 people attended the second annual event. Most recently, over 30,000 people attended Imagine RIT on May 1, 2010.
People
Student body
Demographics of student body
| | Undergraduate | Graduate | U.S. Census |
African AmericanAfrican Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
|
6.1% |
6.1% |
12.1% |
Asian AmericanAsian Americans are Americans of Asian descent. The U.S. Census Bureau definition of Asians as "Asian” refers to a person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, Southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, including, for example, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Japan,...
|
5.7% |
6.0% |
4.3% |
White AmericanWhite Americans are people of the United States who are considered or consider themselves White. The United States Census Bureau defines White people as those "having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East, or North Africa...
|
82.5% |
83.9% |
65.8% |
| Hispanic American |
5.2% |
3.1% |
14.5% |
Native AmericanNative Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
|
0.5% |
0.8% |
0.9% |
| International student According to Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development , international students are those who travel to a country different from their own for the purpose of tertiary study. Despite that, the definition of international students varies in each country in accordance to their own national...
|
4.6% |
36.3% |
N/A |
RIT enrolled 14,045 undergraduate and 2,728 graduate students in fall 2009. The undergraduate student body is 67.4% male and the graduate student body is 64.5% male. Admissions are characterized as "more selective, higher transfer-in" by the Carnegie Foundation. RIT received 12,725 applications for undergraduate admission in Fall 2008, 60% were admitted, 34% enrolled, and 84% of students re-matriculated as second-year students. The
interquartile rangeIn descriptive statistics, the interquartile range , also called the midspread or middle fifty, is a measure of statistical dispersion, being equal to the difference between the upper and lower quartiles...
on the
SATThe SAT Reasoning Test is a standardized test for college admissions in the United States. The SAT is owned, published, and developed by the College Board, a nonprofit organization in the United States. It was formerly developed, published, and scored by the Educational Testing Service which still...
was 1630–1910. 26% of students graduated after four years and 64% after six years.
Alumni
RIT has over 100,000 alumni worldwide.
Notable alumni include Bob Duffy, New York Lieutenant Governor;
Tom CurleyThomas "Tom" Curley is the President of the Associated Press, the world's largest news organization.-Biography:Curley was born in Easton, Pennsylvania. At age 15, he started writing for the Easton Express...
, President and CEO of the
Associated PressThe Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
; Bruce James, 24th
Public Printer of the United StatesThe title of Public Printer of the United States refers to the official head of the Government Printing Office . Pursuant to , this officer must be nominated by the President of the United States and approved by the United States Senate...
;
Daniel CarpDaniel Allen 'Dan' Carp is the former Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Eastman Kodak Company. Carp will serve as the next Chairman of the Board of Delta Air Lines, replacing current Chairman Gerald Grinstein...
, former Chairman of the Eastman Kodak Company;
software developerA software developer is a person concerned with facets of the software development process. Their work includes researching, designing, developing, and testing software. A software developer may take part in design, computer programming, or software project management...
John ResigJohn Resig is an application developer at Khan Academy. He was a JavaScript tool developer for the Mozilla Corporation. He is also the creator and lead developer of the jQuery JavaScript library. This library's goal is to simplify the process of writing cross-browser JavaScript code...
;
N. Katherine HaylesN. Katherine Hayles is a postmodern literary critic, most notable for her contribution to the fields of literature and science, electronic literature, and American literature. She is professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the Program in Literature at Duke University. -Background:Hayles was...
, critical theorist; and photojournalist
Bernie BostonBernie Boston was an American photographer most noted for his iconic Pulitzer Prize-nominated photograph, Flower Power.-Life and career:...
.
Presidents and provosts
In the decades prior to the selection of RIT's first president, the institute was administered primarily by the Board of Trustees.
Institute presidents
| Name |
Tenure |
| Carleton B. Gibson Carleton Bartlett Gibson was a 19th– and 20th century American industrial educator, most notable for having served as the first president of the Rochester Athenæum and Mechanics Institute, from 1910 to 1916....
|
June 1910 – 1 July 1916 |
| James F. Barker |
1 July 1916–1919 |
| Royal B. Farnum Royal Bailey Farnum was an American art educator who served in administrative roles in various public and private educational institutions in Massachusetts, New York, Ohio, and Rhode Island during the first half of the 20th Century.-Early life and career:He was born in Somerville, Massachusetts to...
|
1919–1921 |
| John A. Randall John Arthur Randall was the fourth President of the Rochester Institute of Technology, succeeding Royal B. Farnum, from 1922–1936.Randall was born in Durham, Maine in 1881 and graduated from Wesleyan University, Phi Beta Kappa....
|
1922–1936 |
| Mark W. Ellingson Mark W. Ellingson was the 5th president of the Rochester Institute of Technology, succeeding John A. Randall, from 1936–1969. He rose from a teacher at the institute to the presidency, which he held for longer than anyone before or since, and in many ways he brought the institute into its modern...
|
1936–1969 |
| Paul A. Miller Paul Miller was the 6th president of the Rochester Institute of Technology, succeeding Mark W. Ellingson, from 1969–1979. He oversaw the completion of the move of the campus to Henrietta and the steady growth of RIT between 1969 and 1981.-References:...
|
1969–1979 |
| M. Richard Rose M. Richard Rose was the tenth president of Alfred University from 1974–1978 and the seventh president of the Rochester Institute of Technology from 1979–1992....
|
1979 - June 1992 |
| Albert J. Simone Dr. Albert Joseph Simone is a former president of the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York, USA.Simone earned his Bachelor of Arts from Tufts in 1957, and his PhD from MIT in 1962....
|
1992 - 30 June 2007 |
| William W. Destler William W. Destler is an American university professor and administrator. He is currently serving as the 9th president of Rochester Institute of Technology and has held the position since 1 July 2007, succeeding Albert J...
|
1 July 2007 - present |
|
Institute provosts
| Name |
Tenure |
| Todd H. Bullard |
August 1, 1970–1980 |
| Robert G. Quinn |
1980 – January, 1983 |
| Thomas R. Plough Thomas R. Plough is an American sociologist most notable for having served as president of North Dakota State University and Assumption College....
|
January, 1983–1995 |
| Stanley D. McKenzie |
1995 – June 30, 2008 |
| Jeremy A. Haefner |
July 1, 2008 – present |
|
External links