Tiger's Tale: Alumni Tale - November 2022

Hey Tigers - YOU did it!

THANK YOU for showing us your loudest and proudest ROAR on ROAR Day. All of us at RIT are thrilled by how many of you showed up in support of our students and fellow Tigers. Because of your ROAR Day gifts, our students will be able to reach new heights and create and innovate more than ever before. Our deepest gratitude to you.

Please watch this new video message.Because of your generosity, we're able to make so much more possible for our amazing students.

From all of us here at RIT, thank you. GO TIGERS!

This November 15, we're sending a Wave of Gratitude to celebrate our donors, and everything they make possible for our students. Keep an eye on your inbox that day for a fun video message that is custom-made for our donors.

November is Native American Heritage Month

Dr. Jolene Rickard BFA '78 is a visual historian, artist, and curator interested in the intersection of Indigenous knowledge and contemporary art with an emphasis on Haudenosaunee aesthetics. She is an Associate Professor in the departments of History of Art and Art, and the former Director of the American Indian and Indigenous Studies Program 2008-2020 (AIISP) at Cornell University, Ithaca, NY.

Prior to the Women's Hockey game versus Syracuse on October 29, 2022, RIT celebrated the 10th Anniversary of the 2012 National Championship team, which defeated Norwich on home ice to claim the program's first-ever national title.

The RIT Men's Hockey program has kicked off the 2022-23 season in impressive fashion, winning six of their first eight games including a Brick City Homecoming Weekend victory over Union at Blue Cross Arena.

The Tigers have seven home contests slated for the Gene Polisseni Center before the end of the calendar year, and will host teams such as Princeton, Penn State and the US National Under-18 Team, which has some of the country's top young talent.

Holiday shopping is right around the corner, and we don't want you to forget that you can support RIT for free at the same time. When shopping Amazon this year, bookmark the address below and Amazon will donate 0.5% of eligible purchases to RIT'no fees, no extra cost. Happy shopping!

Jada Jennings BS '24

Jada works at the Campus Welcome Center, is secretary of RIT's Black Awareness Coordinating Committee, and also enjoys photography. A business management information systems major, Jada expressed that she wouldn't be able to afford her education if it wasn't for the scholarship she received. 'I never knew the cost of a college education until I was faced with it.' Jennings perfectly summed up the sentiment that so many college students experience.

New Endowed Professorships in the College of Science

Rochester Institute of Technology will establish two new endowed professorships in the College of Science thanks to a $2 million donation from Jeffrey Harris BS '75 and his partner, Joyce Pratt. RIT matched their donation with $4 million in funding as part of a $20 million challenge to encourage alumni, parents, and friends of the university to support faculty recruitment, retention, and research critical to RIT's priorities and goals.

If you missed it, October 17-23 was National Estate Planning Awareness Week! Who needs an estate plan? Well, just about everyone! If you don't have an estate plan, you're not alone. The best time to start putting a plan in place is probably today. If you already have an estate plan, now might be a good time for a checkup.

We can help you get started. Please contact us for a free copy of our legacy planner. The guide is fully downloadable , but is also available in a printed version compliments of RIT! For more information, please click here If you prefer to talk to someone, call Hal Burrall or Tamra Werner at 585-475-3106 or email us at plannedgiving@rit.edu.

The Early Decision II deadline is right around the corner...

Alumni like you play an important role in recruiting future Tigers by recommending RIT to prospective students within your families, communities, and professional networks. And now that role is even more valuable!

Did you know, when you refer a prospective student to RIT, that student is eligible for the RIT Alumni Referral Award, a $1,000 per year scholarship renewable for four years? Each alum can refer one undergraduate applicant per year for this award.

Transforming RIT: Reconnecting in Seattle

Thursday, December 1

Join RIT President David C. Munson Jr. for Transforming RIT: Reconnecting in Seattle!

Hosted at The Edgewater Hotel, this event is a perfect opportunity to reconnect with your alma mater and fellow alumni in your area while celebrating the innovative trajectory of RIT. Following a complimentary cocktail and hors d'oeuvres reception, President Munson will share exciting changes happening at RIT as part of Transforming RIT: The Campaign for Greatness.

The SHED construction makes progress, surmounts challenges

The Student Hall for Exploration and Development(SHED) will look like nothing else on the RIT campus when construction ends next year. The SHED is like an intricate glass puzzle, and Mark Williams,principal project manager in RIT's facilities Management Services, is a problem solver.

RIT Research and Academic Support Leads to Ph.D. at St. Jude's

The hands-on research opportunities and academic support at RIT equipped biotechnology and molecular bioscience alum Maria Smith BS '18 with a strong science background while diversifying her technical skills. Now she is a Ph.D. candidate at the St. Jude Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.

Alumna creates mobile ultrasound business in Rochester

Jenny Kron BS '15 was 37 years old with three kids and a mortgage when she enrolled in RIT's diagnostic medical sonographyprogram full time. Now, she is running her own successful mobile ultrasound business called Hey, Baby! Mobile 4D Ultrasound.

RIT ranked among top augmented and virtual reality colleges in the U.S.

Animation Career Review has named Rochester Institute of Technology one of the top augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) colleges in the country. RIT ranked No. 8 on the 2022 list of Top 50 AR/VR Colleges in the U.S.

Student excels as part of science and technology program

Joseph Vazquez BS '24 is a third-year mechanical engineering student from Rochester and is a part of the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) at RIT. Last summer, Vazquez conducted research at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Biomedical engineering researcher awarded grant to study chronic skin fibrosis

Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering,  Karin Wuertz-Kozak recently received more than $400,000 from the Congressional Directed Medical Research Program (CDMRP) to investigate new therapeutic approaches for scleroderma, a chronic autoimmune disease that involves overproduction of collagen, also referred to as fibrosis.

Franklyn Athias BS '85 recently received the Diversity in Technology Award at the 2022 NAMIC Conference, held Oct. 11-12 in New York City.

Susan (Cook) Wilson BFA '09 recently became the Social Media Communications Specialist for Inductive Automation, a software company out of Folsom, CA.

William J. Gerken BS '15 and Nathaniel C. Hallett were married September 10, 2022 at the Reikart House in Amherst, New York.

Make connections for life. Join Tigers Connect, RIT's virtual community for alumni and students. In less than two minutes, you are connected to students and fellow alumni on our exclusive digital platform.

Join Your Community

Your relationship with RIT doesn't end when you cross the stage. Update your information at https://www.rit.edu/alumni/update and join the thousands of other proud alumni who volunteer, attend alumni events, take advantage of alumni benefits, and continue to support the areas of RIT that mean the most to them. By completing the form, you will ensure that you receive invitations to alumni events in your region as well at the RIT University Magazine throughout the year.