AES Good News |
We’re Happy You’re Here!
You’ve probably met her already but we want to use this space to extend a very warm welcome to the new Director of the Center for Engagement and Student Success (CES). Alsace Toure started work early last month. Toure has more than 15 years of leadership in higher education. Before coming to RIT, she served as Director of the Learning Commons and HHMI-STEM at the University at Albany. She has also served in leadership positions at Baldwin Wallace University, the University of New Hampshire, and the University of Cincinnati. Phillippa Thiuri , assistant vice president for Academic Access and Success says,” As Director of CES, Alsace will provide leadership for the Center's comprehensive student success initiatives and will work closely with partners across Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Enrollment Management to support student learning, engagement, belonging, persistence, and graduation. She will also play a key leadership role in advancing RIT's growing First Generation initiatives.”
Congratulations are in order:
Megan Kalloo has been promoted to the position of Director of the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP), Marci Sanders has a new role as Student Engagement Specialist II within the Center for Engagement and Student Success (CES) and Ting Zhang has been promoted to director of the McNair Scholars Program within Access, Engagement & Success! Thank you for all of your work in preparing students for success!
We will miss you but we know we will see you around campus! Angela Owen, who worked as a senior staff assistant with HEOP has a new position with the RIT Ombuds office as the Office Coordinator. Her last day with AES was Thursday August 20th. She says, “ I’m very excited at the prospect, though I sure will miss the students here.”
The Community and Education team of Taj Smith, Mei Qi and Aubrey Hillman visited Geneva, NY, this summer and had an opportunity to connect with colleagues at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, take a small tour of campus, and enjoy lunch in their dining hall. The team also visited the Medina Triennial art exhibition in the Village of Medina, NY, a site-responsive contemporary art exhibition that activates the landscapes and histories of Medina and Western New York and features local artists as well as artists from around the globe. The team also enjoyed the local shops along Medina's Main Street, including its local bookstore, Author's Note, and New Orleans-inspired fare at Nola's Gaming and Craft Cafe.
Honors for…
Phillippa Thiuri, assistant vice president for Academic Access and Success will receive the Luminary Award, presented by the Women’s Foundation of Genesee Valley, at its upcoming Legacy Gala, September 26th at Harro East Ballroom. The organization’s mission is “to amplify the voices of all women and girls in the Greater Rochester Area.” Thiuri is a past board member and the organization describes her as “ an extraordinary supporter whose light has inspired, strengthened, and uplifted others.”
Janet Lomax, journalist in residence in AES, will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Rochester Association of Black Journalists at its “Night of Legacy and Leadership” gala September 12th at the Memorial Art Gallery. Lomax, a longtime news anchor at WHEC TV before retiring and coming to RIT, was selected for the work she has done -and- continues to do in the field of journalism and communications.
We’re Taking Your Tips
Keep an eye out on our socials for a new AES video series called “Ask a Professor.” RIT faculty share advice for students on how to navigate college. We’ll take your tips too! Check it out here.
With the start of the fall semester, one popular question we hear on campus is, “What did you do or enjoy this summer? “ Check out these responses from some of our AES colleagues:
Martha Loucke, senior staff assistant: “This summer was a busy one! Between shuttling the kids to practices and camps, catching a couple of concerts with my husband, and hanging out with friends, I honestly enjoyed just slowing down and enjoying time at home with the kids the most.”
Mei QI, assistant director for Community and Education “Food and community! I am a member of apidaROC (Asian Pacific Islander Desi Americans of Rochester), which partnered with the Gandhi Institute in May to celebrate Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month with a community dinner. In July, apidaROC, the WNY chapter of Human Rights Campaign, and The Little Theatre co-hosted a film screening of Hayley Kiyoko's Girls Like Girls in celebration of Pride Month in Rochester. Attendees received free popcorn with their movie ticket. Finally, I had a great time attending Rochester's first ever Filipino Festival on July 25, enjoying the food, music, culture, and vendors. Already looking forward to next year!”
Marci Sanders, student engagement specialist ll in CES “I spent a long weekend in Saratoga (at SPAC / Saratoga Performing Arts Center) camping and seeing Dave Matthews Band. It's an annual tradition that my husband and I do every year - I've now seen the band 18 times. Live music + meeting new people is a form of therapy for me. I familiarized myself with the AES SE happenings. Even though my role then didn't necessitate attending any meetings or participating in the field trips, I interacted with the students and peer advisors - I was very impressed with the leadership qualities exhibited by the advisors and how well executed the program was. Feeling very proud to be a part of the Center. I applied for and accepted an offer for a new position in CES as Student Engagement Specialist ll working with Holley on general and specialized CES programming. Utilizing the full training I've earned through my master’s degree is a great feeling and I'm so excited to contribute to the success of our students. I finished "The Bee Sting" by Paul Murray. It's the first 600+ page book I've read since last year and the first one in a while that I couldn't put down and I honed my archery skills by committing to practicing weekly and refining our "archery range" in our backyard, just a target bag hung from the yard's fence."
Sandy Whitmore, executive director for marketing and operations “I enjoyed traveling with my husband to Disney and Key West this summer. I’ve been wanting to experience The Wizarding World of Harry Potter-Ministry of Magic at the new Epic Universe, and it did not disappoint. Other than that, I enjoyed spending time with my daughters and grandchildren hanging out swimming, biking and just enjoying the amazing weather. Thankful for the time together.
Hannah Bell, assistant director for creative and communications “My partner and I bought a house this summer! It was a long and crazy process to get our home, but so worth it. We live in the Beechwood neighborhood in the city and love being close to so much going on. I am so excited to finally finish unpacking so we can move on to the fun things, like decorating and really making it our own. Our cat, TimTam, is enjoying having a lot more space and more windows to look out of."