News

More than 500 incoming students this academic year received a performing arts scholarship, which were created to enable musicians, dancers, actors, and even students with experience in technical theater to continue to pursue their passion for performance while at RIT. To date, some 1,800 students have received scholarships in the five years they have been available.

WHYY, a PBS affiliate, features Eric Kunsman, assistant professor in NTID’s Department of Visual Communications Studies.

The Dyer Arts Center hosts its first featured exhibition of 2024 with works by London-based artist and art therapist Rubbena Aurangzeb-Tariq, Jan. 19 - May 17. An opening reception and artist presentation takes place from 4 to 6 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19.

A new training program for RIT students, faculty, and staff aims to bolster a campus-wide approach to supporting student mental health. Nearly 300 people have completed the Mental Health First Aid Training course last semester and have received certification from the National Council of Mental Wellbeing.

The Journal Courier features the late Michael Dennis McKinney Sr., a 1981 NTID graduate.

U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand visited RIT on Dec. 11 to deliver news on two federal funding initiatives: RIT’s Semiconductor Fabrication Lab and NTID.

The Athletic talks to Deaf musician Sean Forbes ’08 (applied arts and sciences); Kim Kurz, professor in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf; and Joseph Hill, assistant dean of NTID Faculty Recruitment and Retention, about Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf, who uses American Sign Language in touchdown celebrations. (This content requires a subscription to view.)

NTID has named Rosa Lee Timm ’00 as the recipient of its Distinguished Alumni Award for the 2023-2024 year. The Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented annually to alumni who have performed at the highest levels of their profession or who have contributed to the advancement and leadership of civic, philanthropic, or service organizations.

With its five extra-large classrooms, seven makerspaces, performing arts studios, and glass box theater, the $120 million SHED complex is made for a new generation of RIT students who see themselves as makers and doers, performers, and active learners.

The inaugural production in the newest building on the RIT campus, AstroDance II: Across the Universe, premiered Dec. 1 to 3 and featured a variety of dance, aerial and circus arts, and augmented reality. 

Twelve RIT alumni have been honored with Distinguished Alumni Awards for the 2023-2024 year. The Distinguished Alumni Awards are presented annually by each of RIT’s nine colleges, the School of Individualized Study, and the RIT Graduate School to alumni who have performed at the highest levels of their profession or who have contributed to the advancement and leadership of civic, philanthropic, or service organizations.

The DeafTEC program at RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf has received a renewal grant for $1.6 million to continue its work serving as a resource for high schools and community colleges that educate deaf and hard-of-hearing students in STEM-related programs and for employers hiring deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.