Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Awards Ceremony

The Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Awards ceremony honors the top 1% of RIT's undergraduate students. It celebrates RIT’s Scholars and gives them an opportunity to acknowledge a past teacher or professor who has had a significant impact on their academic career.

Awards Ceremony
March 18, 2021
5:30 p.m.

Due to New York State's COVID-19 guidelinesRIT’s president and provost will acknowledge the honorees during a virtual celebration. The awards ceremony will be live streamed and captioned on this webpage on Thursday, March 18, 2021 at 5:30 p.m.

Program for the 2020-2021 Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Awards

Information for Honored Teachers

Congratulations on being selected as an Honored Teacher at the RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Awards!

As part of the Scholars’ recognition, we have asked them to identify a high school or community college teacher whom they consider to be the “best” — a teacher they would like honored as a model for others. These teachers have had a profound influence on their career and have been an inspiration in their life. As one of the few selected for this honor, please accept our congratulations.

A reception, award ceremony, and dinner in honor of these Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars and their high school or community college teachers will be held on March 19, 2020.

You will have an opportunity to visit with your former student at the reception and you will be seated with them and their family and guests, at dinner. A certificate of appreciation and an acknowledgement from your Scholar will be presented during the dinner program.

Travel and Expenses
RIT will pay your airfare or mileage, along with associated tolls, within the United States or Canada, and one night’s lodging at the RIT Inn and Conference Center (including breakfast on Friday). RSVPs are accepted online for this event; you will receive a link via email from Academic Affairs at RIT. Should you have any questions, feel free to contact Dawn Murray at 585-475-5334.

Please record your expenses on the expense form and return it to Dawn Murray, along with original receipts and the W-9 form, for reimbursement. When we receive your expense form, we will process a reimbursement check and mail it to you at the address indicated on the form. The process usually takes 10-14 business days.

Flight and Hotel Information
If you require flight arrangements, please contact Tzell Travel at 1-800-842-0941. Please let the counselor know you are making flight arrangements for RIT’s Outstanding Undergraduate Awards. Your flight will be direct-billed to RIT. If you book your flight another way, RIT will reimburse you for the cost of the flight.

A room has been reserved for you at the RIT Inn and Conference Center, 5257 West Henrietta Road, W. Henrietta, NY, 14586 (585-359-1800) for the evening of March 19. As a reminder, the cost of the room will be billed directly to RIT. At check-in, you will receive a gift certificate to Petals Restaurant for breakfast on Friday morning. You will be responsible for any other incidental charges (i.e. room service, movies, etc.)

Shuttle Service
The RIT Inn and Conference Center provides shuttle service to and from the Greater Rochester International Airport. Please contact the Inn by phone when you arrive to request shuttle service. The Inn is 10 minutes from RIT and provides shuttle service to and from campus. Please inquire with staff at the Inn to reserve the shuttle for transportation to and from the event. Drop off and pick up should be at the Gordon Field House and Activities Center at the south end of D lot (map).

Information for Guests

We look forward to joining recognizing your student’s outstanding achievement at this event. RSVPs will be accepted until February 17.

Special accommodations
The FAQ section includes information on parking, directions, accessibility, and other topics.

Extra guests
Dinner is provided for each scholar, their honored teacher and up to three guests at no cost. Additional guest tickets are available for the dinner for $25. All guests who plan to attend the dinner must complete an RSVP; walk-ins cannot be accommodated at this invitation-only, catered event. Attendance at the reception and ceremony is open to the public and free of charge.

Submit payment online for additional guests.
Deadline for guest RSVPs is February 17, 2020.

Guest Ceremony and Reception Details (open to all)
On Thursday, March 19, 2020, a reception for the RIT Outstanding Undergraduate Scholars begins at 4:30 p.m. in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center. Your student will be required to check in at the Gordon Field House lower-level entrance to receive table assignments for dinner. Guests may proceed directly to the reception. The Scholars will be honored at an awards ceremony at 5:30 p.m.

Guest Dinner Details (invitation only)
Your student will be required to check in at the Gordon Field House lower-level entrance to receive table assignments for dinner. A catered dinner will be served following the ceremony; dinner choices do not need to be selected in advance. Please include any dietary restrictions with your event RSVP.

DF - Dairy free
GF - Gluten free
V - Vegetarian

If you have a nut allergy, please let us know. Desserts are prepared at an off-campus facility that contains/processes nuts. A substitute that is prepared on-campus will be offered.

If you have any dietary restrictions not mentioned above, please contact Dawn Murray.

Deans’ Messages

College of Art and Design

Todd Jokl

Saunders College of Business

Jacqueline Mozrall

Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences

Anne Haake

Kate Gleason College of Engineering

Doreen Edwards

College of Engineering Technology

S. Manian Ramkumar

College of Health Sciences and Technology

Yong Tai Wang

School of Individualized Study

James Hall

College of Liberal Arts

LaVerne McQuiller Williams

National Technical Institute for the Deaf

Gary Behm

College of Science

Sophia Maggelakis

Submitted Recognitions