RIT Professor Wins Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation Educator of the Year

Michael Riordan, professor in the School of Print Media at Rochester Institute of Technology, is the recipient of the 2008 Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation (PGSF) Educator of the Year Award. The annual award recognizes excellence in educational instruction for graphic communication and printing. Students nominate the candidates.

Riordan was presented the award in Chicago on Oct. 27 at the National Association for Printing Leadership (NAPL) Critical Trends Breakfast during GRAPH EXPO, the most comprehensive graphic communications exhibition and conference in North America.

“I try to bring everything that I can to the classroom and to be recognized by the students is the highest honor I could possibly receive,” says Riordan. “I am both honored and humbled.”

Riordan, a nationally recognized expert in color management and workflow systems, teaches graduate and undergraduate coursework in all areas of color, premedia and publishing workflow. He is a co-director of the Open Publishing Lab based in RIT’s School of Print Media. The lab is a cross-disciplinary center dedicated to researching and developing innovative, open source applications for publishing across various media.

“The award is unique in that only students receiving PGSF scholarships are invited to nominate candidates,” says Ted Ringman, vice president of development at Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation. “Students nominate educators that have had a significant impact on their education and, in many cases, their lives. Professor Riordan brings a fresh approach to all of his classes. He challenges his students with the latest technology, and the students respond with a high degree of respect for all that Professor Riordan brings to the classroom.”