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| President Simone and Lisa Cauda |
RIT is in it to win it! Simply put, RIT will lead higher education
in preparing students for successful careers in a global society,
and we have made great strides toward that goal in the last year.
A few recent highlights:
- In March, we dedicated the IT Collaboratory, an exciting
new research facility for the study of photonics, microsystems,
nanomaterials and remote sensing.
- The Golisano College recently
received
approval for a groundbreaking Ph.D. program in Computing and
Information Sciences.
- The Gordon Field House and Activities Center was the site
for the northeast regional FIRST Robotics competition, bringing
thousands of visitors to cheer their high school teams.
- RIT is continuing to expand its global reach with new
initiatives in China and India.
All of these points are great news for the
entire RIT community – alumni, parents, and friends. However,
we have to say that some of the best news is what Lisa Cauda,
interim vice president for Development and Alumni Relations,
and I hear from our alumni about their achievements. You are
arguably the most important part of the RIT “brand,” and,
along with our “alumni in training” (our
current students), will ultimately shape the destiny
of the university through your individual success and
your support and engagement with your alma mater. Before
you became successful alumni, our faculty, staff, and
the greater RIT community invested a great deal in your
success. We all want to see you continue to grow, and
in turn, we want our alumni to take an interest in the
university and provide direction and ideas for where
we should go from here.
RIT has always benchmarked well against peer schools
in academic categories. However, as the university has
grown into a new peer group that includes prestigious
universities such as Carnegie Mellon, Cornell, Penn State,
Syracuse and Villanova, RIT pales in comparison in one
critical area – alumni engagement.
Our peer schools have decades-long relationships with their alumni,
while RIT’s career focus has created stronger relationships
with industry than with our own family members. We know
this must change for RIT to maintain its outstanding
reputation and to continue to grow and thrive in a highly
competitive education market. Lisa and the Alumni Relations
Office are working hard to make your RIT experience as
valuable to you now as it was when you were in class.
The best way to network with other alumni in your region,
your career field, or your area of interest is through your
connections with RIT. Join the RIT Online Community, check
in with your regional alumni chapter, or make plans to come
back to campus for Brick City Homecoming in October. Get
connected, stay connected, and we can bring you relationships
with people from all over the world.
So call, visit us online, or come back to campus. However
you choose to connect with RIT, know that there will be a
welcoming tiger paw reaching out to you.
Albert J. Simone
President
