The University Magazine
100,000 Strong
The total number of RIT alumni reaches a new peak
Commencement 2007 was a milestone occasion at RIT – for many reasons.
President Bill Clinton was keynote speaker. Retiring RIT President Albert J. Simone presided over his final commencement.
And 4,023 men and women made the transition from RIT student to RIT graduate, pushing the total of living RIT alumni over the 100,000 mark for the first time.
“This is a remarkable event in the life of RIT, and shows that the institute has arrived as a major university on the national and international stage,” says Brian O’Shaughnessy ’81, ’84 (chemistry), chair of RIT’s Alumni Network Board of Directors. “As alumni, we should all take great pride not only in the size of our alumni body, but in its accomplishments, its diversity, and its global reputation. All of our alumni continue to benefit from RIT’s growing influence and stature, and as such we have a collective obligation to support our alma mater, its educational mission, and its commitment to excellence.”
RIT’s 103,083 alumni live in every state in the U.S. More than 3,000 live outside the U.S. in 110 countries and on every continent except Antarctica. Nearly half have graduated since 1990, which makes sense considering RIT’s tremendous growth in the past 15 years. More than 15 percent hold multiple degrees from RIT. About 31 percent are women.
The statistics paint an interesting picture. Below are some of the highlights.
| Alumni by years: |
Alumni by colleges: |
| 1900-1925: 72 |
College of Applied Science and Technology: 31,400 |
| 1926-1950: 2,429 |
College of Imaging Arts and Sciences: 23,147 |
| 1951-1960: 3,433 |
E. Philip Saunders College of Business: 17,887 |
| 1961-1970: 6,999 |
Kate Gleason College of Engineering: 12,604 |
| 1971-1980: 17,382 |
College of Science: 6,361 |
| 1981-1990: 24,988 |
National Technical School for the Deaf: 4,203 |
| 1991-2000: 24,243 |
B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences (created 2001): 3,609 |
| 2001-2007: 23,014 |
College of Liberal Arts: 3,290 |
Alumni in the United States
| Alaska: 68 |
Louisiana: 118 |
 |
|
| Alabama: 176 | Massachusetts: 3,213 | ||
| Arkansas: 111 |
Maryland: 1,923 | ||
| Arizona: 976 |
Maine: 490 | ||
| California: 3,818 |
Michigan: 1,009 | ||
| Colorado: 985 |
Minnesota: 497 | ||
| Connecticut: 1,966 |
Missouri: 385 | ||
| Washington, D.C.: 195 |
Mississippi: 47 | ||
| Delaware: 240 |
Montana: 44 | ||
| Florida: 3,894 |
Nebraska: 70 |
Oklahoma: 76 | Vermont: 495 |
| Georgia: 1,306 |
New Hampshire: 814 |
Oregon: 431 | Virginia: 2,447 |
| Hawaii: 133 |
New Jersey: 2,985 |
Pennsylvania: 3,744 | Washington: 765 |
| Idaho: 113 |
New Mexico: 229 |
Rhode Island: 322 | West Virginia: 87 |
| Iowa: 133 |
Nevada: 265 |
South Carolina: 599 | Wisconsin: 368 |
| Illinois: 1,295 |
New York: 47,467 |
South Dakota: 44 | Wyoming: 23 |
| Indiana: 451 |
North Carolina: 2,242 | Tennessee: 452 | |
| Kansas: 167 |
North Dakota: 29 | Texas: 1,853 | |
| Kentucky: 259 | Ohio: 1,613 | Utah: 152 | |
Countries and Continents where at least 10 RIT alumni reside:
| Australia: 18 |
Greece: 24 |
Serbia and Montenegro: 33 |
| Bosnia- Herzegovina: 83 |
Hong Kong: 26 |
Singapore: 24 |
| Brazil: 20 |
India: 158 |
Spain: 47 |
| Canada: 292 |
Israel: 10 |
Sweden: 14 |
| China: 13 |
Japan: 99 | Switzerland: 11 |
| Colombia: 13 |
North Korea: 14 |
Taiwan: 113 |
| Croatia: 972 |
South Korea: 27 |
Thailand: 98 |
| Czech Republic: 231 |
Malaysia: 33 |
Turkey: 30 |
| Dominican Republic: 44 | Mexico: 28 |
United Kingdom: 45 |
| France: 18 |
Netherlands: 12 | Yugoslavia: 104 |
| Germany: 43 | Saudia Arabia: 10 |
To find other alumni in your area, or to locate an individual RIT graduate, check the Online Community at www.rit.edu/alumni.