David Munson
President
Education
BS in electrical engineering, University of Delaware; MA, MS, Ph.D. in electrical engineering, Princeton University
Bio
Dr. David C. Munson Jr. became Rochester Institute of Technology's 10th president in 2017.
As RIT's president, Dr. Munson is responsible for one of the nation's leading creative and innovative universities that leverages the power of technology, the arts, and design for the greater good.
Founded in 1829, the university is home to 19,000 students from all 50 states and more than 100 foreign countries. This includes campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai and Kosovo. More than 125,000 RIT Tiger alumni are shaping and improving the world.
RIT is the third largest producer of undergraduate degrees in science, technology, engineering and math among all private universities in the U.S. RIT also is home to the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) and has one of the oldest and largest cooperative education programs in the country. In 2018, sponsored research reached a record $78 million, while the university's endowment now stands at $938 million.
Dr. Munson has nearly 40 years of experience in higher education, which includes serving as the Robert J. Vlasic Dean of Engineering at the University of Michigan from 2006 to 2016.
Dr. Munson earned his BS degree in electrical engineering (with distinction) from the University of Delaware in 1975. He earned an MS and MA in electrical engineering from Princeton University in 1977, followed by a Ph.D. in electrical engineering in 1979, also from Princeton.
From 1979 to 2003, Dr. Munson was with the University of Illinois, where he was the Robert C. MacClinchie Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Research Professor in the Coordinated Science Laboratory and a faculty member in the Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.
In 2003, he became chair of the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at the University of Michigan prior to becoming dean.
Dr. Munson's teaching and research interests are in the area of signal and image processing. His current research is focused on radar imaging and computer tomography. He is co-founder of InstaRecon Inc., a start-up firm to commercialize fast algorithms for image formation in computer tomography. He is affiliated with the Infinity Project, where he is coauthor of a textbook on the digital world, which has been used in hundreds of high schools nationwide to introduce students to engineering.
Dr. Munson serves on several boards, including: The Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities (a2ru), Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities (NY), Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council, George Eastman Museum, Greater Rochester Enterprise, Permanent.org, Rochester Area Colleges, Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Rochester Regional Health, RIT Croatia, and the Sustainable Manufacturing Innovation Alliance.
Dr. Munson is married to Nancy Munson, who is a nurse, avid runner and community volunteer. The couple has four sons and four grandchildren.
In the News
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May 12, 2023
![three graduating college students wearing their regalia.]()
RIT grads told to hold on to hope and work hard to make it happen
A former top NASA administrator told graduates of RIT that their futures may seem as ambiguous as outer space. But by daring to do mighty things with hope instead of fear, untold possibilities will come into focus. Thomas Zurbuchen, astrophysicist and the longest continually serving associate administrator for the Science Mission Directorate in NASA’s history, addressed the crowd during today's Academic Convocation ceremony in the Gordon Field House. More than 4,800 RIT graduates, including those attending RIT’s global campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo, were recognized.
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April 17, 2023
![crowd of people at last year's Imagine RIT festival in the field house.]()
Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival set for April 29
Artificial intelligence, robots, glass blowing, drones, cybersecurity tours, and performing arts are just a sampling of what lies in store for the thousands of visitors expected at this year’s Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 29.
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August 19, 2022
![RIT President Munson speaking at podium with a power point projection in the background.]()
President Munson calls on RIT community to reinvigorate the campus this academic year
RIT President David Munson welcomed the community for the start of a new academic year with a call to re-energize the campus’s atmosphere to its pre-pandemic level. During his annual President’s Address in Ingle Auditorium this morning, Munson encouraged all RIT faculty, staff, and students to make a new academic year resolution to spend more time face-to-face with one another.
