News
Keith Jenkins

RIT has been recognized with the Higher Education Excellence and Distinction (HEED) Champion Award, as announced by Insight Into Academia magazine. This marks the 12th consecutive year RIT has received the HEED Award and the 11th consecutive year of being named a champion.

During his first State of the University Address on Wednesday, President Bill Sanders said RIT will continue to deliver a world-class education, support groundbreaking research and scholarship, and be a destination for talent from every corner of the globe.

Democrat and Chronicle speaks to Elizabeth Call, university archivist; Keith Jenkins, vice president and associate provost for the Division of Access, Engagement, and Success; and fourth-year student Kasim O’Meally about the history of the university's ALANA student clubs and organizations. (This content may require a subscription to view.)

RIT will welcome Deborah Archer, eighth president of the American Civil Liberties Union, to campus on Wednesday, Jan. 29, for the 43rd annual Expressions of King’s Legacy event.

RIT’s commitment to diversity has been recognized with INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine's Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award and Diversity Champion designation.

Alvarado-Fischer serves as the vice president, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion officer at Excellus BlueCross BlueShield and volunteers for numerous community organizations. As a result of her own intersecting identities, she has a strong passion for social justice with a special interest in women, Latinx, and LGBTQ+ issues.

Hosted by the Black Awareness Coordinating Committee (BACC), the event featured Minett Professor Sherry Tshibangu addressing the graduates during the ceremony, sharing that the graduates’ journeys were taken with exceptional courage, and that their legacy is one to be continued.

RIT will host its first Latinx graduation ceremony on Sunday, May 5, at 1 p.m. in the SHED. The event is a chance to honor and celebrate graduating Latinx students and is organized by RIT’s Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE).

Author and historian Ibram X. Kendi will be the keynote speaker at RIT’s Expressions of King’s Legacy, an annual program dedicated to celebrating the life and impact of Martin Luther King Jr. The 2024 event will be held from noon to 2 p.m. on Jan. 30 at RIT’s Gordon Field House.

RIT’s seventh annual Let Freedom Ring event will feature alumna Krystle Ellis ’09, ’15 MS as its keynote speaker on Jan. 15. The event honors the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. by hosting speakers who challenge the RIT community to think deeper, to broaden horizons, and to express individuality.

RIT continues to be a leader in diversity in higher education, as recognized by INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine. The publication announced RIT as a 2023 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award winner and a 2023 Diversity Champion. This is the 10th consecutive HEED Award and ninth consecutive Diversity Champion designation for RIT.

In his welcome to the community for the start of a new academic year, RIT President David Munson asserted the university is well positioned to thrive while laying out “challenges, opportunities, and vision” for RIT’s future.