AES Good News |
Sending our congratulations to Assistant Director for Community and Education Mei Qi. She has officially been elected to the Rochester Regional Library Council Board of Trustees for an interim term through June 2026 and will go up for election for a full five-year term in July. The Rochester Regional Library Council serves libraries and library systems in a multi-county region including Monroe, Ontario, Wayne and Wyoming counties. It even includes our own RIT Libraries! The council has programs and services that enhance member library cooperation, service delivery, and resource sharing.
Taj Smith, executive director, Community and Education, recently attended the American College Personnel Association (ACPA) Conference in Baltimore, Maryland. He shared highlights from the conference including young people of color in leadership roles were evident and that colleagues working at different institutions sought this conference out as an opportunity to heal, dialogue, and ideate about higher education's future. Smith says his favorite sessions focused on the importance of talking more about navigating socioeconomic status and fat people's experiences on college campuses. He says, “I also liked the session on preparing for the Generation Alpha or what some researchers refer to as the Homelanders.”
He plans to use some of the new ideas he picked up, here on campus including a Breaking Bread dialogue about sizeism and implement a new Intergroup Dialogue Initiative, already underway at UMass-Amherst. He says, "It requires colleges and departments to buy-in to establishing a dialogic campus culture through facilitation training and practice." He also hopes to talk with Cornell's Center for Dialogue & Pluralism to add to that vision. He recently learned about their practices after attending a webinar outside of the ACPA conference.
Oh, and if you’re ever in Baltimore, Smith recommends a stop at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum. “The third-floor exhibit highlights Maryland and Baltimore's African American history with a couple of shout-outs to Rochester via the Frederick Douglass connection. I don't think Rochester has anything like it. These photos include an exhibit focused on African American sailor history in Baltimore and Maryland and the other is of dirt, collected from lynching sites in the state of Maryland.”
Next year’s ACPA conference will be in Toronto, March 15 - March 18 with plans to allow undergraduate and master's students to attend for free.
Sandra Whitmore, executive director for Marketing and Operations, served as a mentor at a program last month presented by the Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley. It was called Girls Professional Development Day and it was held at the Golisano Institute for Business and Entrepreneurship. Thirty young women took part in one-on-one mentoring sessions and they also took part in workshops. They learned a lot and talked about their future aspirations and gained insights into ways they can achieve their goals.
Hang in there! It’s coming! With this semester coming to a close and summer right around the corner, we wanted to know: What are you looking forward to doing this summer?
Imani Baker, assistant director for Rochester City Scholars, Center for Engagement and Student Success
“I’m looking forward to the joy of seeing our students graduate and the energy that comes with preparing for our next cohort of Rochester City Scholars. Supporting them as they begin their RIT journey, paired with the warmer summer weather and time to recharge outdoors, makes this a season I truly enjoy.”
Victor Davidson, director for TriO Upward Bound
“I'm looking forward to having our Upward Bound students on campus for 2 weeks! Our students will in our dorms, take workshops in the following subjects, math, science, and English with RIT professors! I am also looking forward to working with my football team to prepare for our upcoming season this fall. And lastly, enjoy spending time with my amazing, energetic grandson MaKaio!”
Kate Torrey, senior director, CSTEP and McNair Scholars
"I am looking forward to my son’s wedding in August! I’m also looking forward to his graduation from RIT’s MBA program this May!"
Sandra Whitmore, executive director for Marketing and Operations
“I'm looking forward to hanging out in the pool with my family, taking my dog Nala on walks/hikes, and enjoying as much sunshine as I can. Spending time getting lost in a good book as I enjoy some quiet time. Plus, the celebration of our daughter Skylar who will graduate with her master’s degree in biomedical science!”
David Wick, associate vice president for Research & Assessment
“As summer approaches, I'm thinking about the cool early morning walks with our family dog, Charlie. I'm looking forward to spending time with my son, Joe, who will be returning from his first year of college at Marist University. I'm eager to watch my talented daughter, Evie, play soccer in several planned tournaments and college showcases. I'm hoping to join them both on some long weekend bike rides on the area rail trails, sip wine in the evenings on the back deck with my beautiful wife, Jennifer, and share a few frosty pints around a crackling fire with family and friends. I'm also looking forward to advancing my institutional work on First-Generation college students, publishing an article about a classic physics problem called "The Creeping Shingle", and finalizing some research on a novel sensor-triggered air sampling system developed by colleagues.”