Who We Are

Saunders College of Business: An Incubator for the Exceptional.

Small School Attention. Large University Resources.

Step into Saunders College of Business. Your journey to innovate, lead, and impact begins here. We are a vibrant community, uniquely blending personalized attention with the expansive resources of RIT's innovation hub. Small classes and dedicated staff and faculty get to know you by name and care about your career success. Your imaginative ideas are heard, challenged, and transformed into real-world impact. We're active in moving your potential forward, pushing boundaries to help you become truly exceptional.

Access the resources of one of the largest technical universities and faculty that are recognized in the top international academic journals. Advisors are dedicated to student success academically, personally, and professionally, throughout your academic career and beyond.

Your Team: Actively Supporting Your Journey

As a student at Saunders College of Business and RIT, you're never alone. Our dedicated staff forms a compassionate support system, actively coaching you from application through graduation and beyond. They answer your questions and guide your unique path to success, ensuring you're always on to something remarkable.

Admissions representatives are here to assist with your application process.

Undergraduate Admissions Representative

Graduate Admissions Representative

Dedicated academic, faculty, career and co-op advisors are here to assist you throughout your academic experience at Saunders College of Business.

View Undergraduate Advisors and Resources

View Graduate Advisors and Resources

Every college at RIT has a dedicated College Librarian available to help you with research endeavors. Our librarian helps connect you with information and resources to  complete class projects, including research papers, marketing plans, business plans, research employers, and more.

Jennifer Freer headshot
Jennifer Freer
College of Business Liaison/Librarian
RIT Libraries - Research and Instruction Services
Academic Affairs
jlfwml@rit.edu
585-475-7731

Your financial aid representative is dedicated to all business students to assist you with any questions regarding how to support you financially.

Alumni relations representatives are here to assist you after graduation to help find meaningful ways for your to stay connected and engaged.

Faculty: Real-World Expertise, Global Impact

Learn from Saunders College of Business faculty—internationally recognized by their peers. Their research is published in top, peer-reviewed journals. Saunders provides opportunities for all students to participate in faculty research through research symposiums and Saunders Student Research Initiative.

Our faculty bring real-world business knowledge and academic rigor to every course. Your theoretical training is augmented by practical, innovative examples. Through case studies, seminars, simulations, and independent work, you'll engage with current business challenges. Faculty also serve as dedicated advisors, offering opportunities to collaborate on groundbreaking research. Discover how Saunders faculty actively drive your learning and contribute to global business solutions.

Honors Program

Saunders College students in the Honors Program participate with Honors students from the Kate Gleason College of Engineering in an interdisciplinary, three-course seminar sequence, “Product and Service Innovation for a Global Economy.” These seminars help you appreciate the entire product and service development cycle, from imaginative concept to tangible realization. Take active business trips to domestic and international companies across diverse industries where faculty and local business leaders actively address how ideas are conceived, refined, produced, and the unique challenges of developing and marketing for a global marketplace. Recent trips to Seattle, Chicago, New York City, Silicon Valley, Toronto, and Dubai have allowed students to visit Amazon, Bloomberg, Boeing, EY, the Federal Reserve Bank, Google, IDEO, and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The Renee A. and Charles S. Brown Jr. family endowment actively funds travel and research, pushing you beyond traditional constraints.

Learn more about honors program requirements and required research experience. Contact Lisa Boice with any questions: lboice@saunders.rit.edu.

Women in Business: Innovate. Influence. Inspire.

Saunders College actively meets the growing demand for women in business disciplines, fostering an unique legacy of leadership. Saunders' history includes three women deans, starting with Edwina Hogadone—the first woman in the nation named dean of a college of business. Throughout her 10-year term, she was the only woman dean of a College of Business in the United States. Today, Saunders is led by Jacqueline R. Mozrall, actively advancing our leadership position in business and technology, joining Saunders after 20 years in engineering.

At RIT and Saunders, our future-focused commitment to women's leadership comes through many active initiatives and events:

Or explore the many RIT Clubs and Organizations (click and search for "Women")

* Note: Saunders programs and events are open to all eligible individuals regardless of sex, gender, gender identity, race, color, and/or national origin. View RIT nondiscrimination statement

Student and Alumni Spotlights

Saunders College of Business is the first choice for resourceful students and creative enterprises. We attract those with driving curiosity who value entrepreneurial thinking and innovative solutions. Our students and alumni, from diverse backgrounds, interests, and aspirations, make Saunders College powerfully dynamic and truly unusual. Learn more about their active experiences inside and outside the classroom.

Saunders Students: Where Exceptional Minds Take Action

Hear from our students that are immersed in experiential learning opportunities. They participate in student clubs and activities, attend Saunders events featuring top business personalities, hear from industry professionals in their classrooms, go to off-site corporate visits, professional conferences, and competitions. At the center of this is our Cooperative Education program where students spend a semester gaining work experience through paid positions.

Operated through the Office of Career Services and Cooperative Education, co-op at RIT is unique and deeply integrated into our curriculum. Throughout the co-op process, students receive active coaching from dedicated academic advisors and career services counselors. They access resources from one of the largest and oldest co-op programs in the world, placing over 5,000 students and graduates at over 3,000 employers each year. This is where ideation meets innovation in practice.

Interested in a Saunders student spotlight feature? Tell us your story, and we'll take care of the rest.

View Student Spotlights

Alumni Spotlights: A Network of Impactful Leaders

RIT Business alums form a dynamic, impactful network of over 25,000 Saunders College of Business alumni and 150,000 RIT alumni. Upon graduation, Saunders alumni continue to be supported by dedicated Alumni Relations and Development advisors from the RIT Advancement offices. Saunders alumni can check out Saunders Alumni Resources for alumni engagement, or share their success stories by submitting an Alumni Spotlight.

Meet Saunders Alumni: Shaping the Future

See where Saunders alumni are today. Hear about their accomplishments and the imaginative advice they offer. Saunders students come from around the globe to learn skills for real-world business solutions. Upon graduation, our alumni pursue ambitious careers and transition successfully into the workforce. We proudly showcase Saunders alumni as they reflect on their RIT experience, demonstrating how they actively move the world forward.

Interested in a Saunders alumni spotlight feature? Tell us your alumni story, and we'll take care of the rest.

View Alumni Spotlights

Alumni Creating Student Opportunities: Compassion in Action

Saunders College prides itself on our community and relationships with alumni and donors. Our state-of-the-art facilities, scholarship opportunities, mentorships, and entrepreneurial support exist thanks to the generosity and compassionate contributions of Saunders supporters. Visit our Industry Industry Advisory Board pages to connect or inquire about joining. Meet alumni through spotlights, or explore outstanding opportunities Saunders alumni have actively created for our students.

More News  

Awards and Recognitions: Celebrating Exceptionalism

Saunders College of Business recognizes it outstanding students, alumni, faculty, and staff that are leaders in their fields.

Student Awards and Recognitions

The Herbert W. Vanden Brul Entrepreneurial Student Award is presented to an RIT student who has proven their potential to become a successful entrepreneur.

A lifelong resident of Livingston County, NY, Mr. Saunders is a tireless promoter of the Upstate NY economy and believes strongly that an educated workforce is the key to economic growth in the region. As part of his commitment to RIT and to the naming of its College of Business, in July 2006, Mr. Saunders established the E. Philip Saunders Endowed Business Scholarship, providing two four-year academic scholarships annually, one each to a graduate of Dansville (NY) High School and of Livonia (NY) High School, who have been accepted to Saunders College of Business at RIT.

Alumni Awards and Recognitions: Honoring Impactful Journeys

Saunders College of Business and Rochester Institute of Technology have a variety of awards to recognize outstanding alumni. We welcome your input to help select future award winners. Awardees will be selected & notified in June of every year. The college’s awards program, Recommence, will take place in October during Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend.

Nominate an alum today!

Saunders Alumni Awards and Recognitions

This award is presented to a graduate, faculty, staff or friend who exemplifies a groundbreaking spirit and gives selflessly to Saunders College of Business and RIT through philanthropic support. The awardee has impacted Saunders College of Business students, alumni, faculty, staff and the RIT community.

The Business Leader Award recognizes individuals who personify the mission of Saunders College of Business. Alumni are chosen annually to represent three of the four college departments, MBA program, and EMBA program. Through outstanding achievements and civic, cultural, and charitable contributions, these individuals bring honor to Saunders College of Business, their respective department, Rochester Institute of Technology, and over 25,000 alumni the college represents. Ideal candidates have made a significant impact on their field and/or contributed to the success of their respective department.

The alumni award is given by the Department of International Hospitality & Service Innovation to an alumnus/alumna who has distinguished themselves in a significant way in a hospitality career. Criteria for the award is based on the recipient's outstanding contribution to hospitality services and excellence within industry and community.

The Sarah Margaret Gillam Award is named for the 1916 graduate of the Mechanics Institute. Sarah Margaret Gillam taught and developed new courses in foodservice, consulted for both the Veterans Administration and the New York Hospital-Cornell medical center, was a dietitian at Rochester General Hospital and former president and member of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. She was named RIT's 1967 Outstanding Alumna.

This award is given to exemplary business, corporation, foundation, or non-profit partner of the Saunders College of Business. Eligible candidates have shown a long standing commitment to employment of our students and alumni, have engaged in various academic research/sponsorship collaborations and/or have philanthropically supported the college to help foster innovation and student success.

RIT Alumni Awards and Recognitions

Awards presented by RIT is the highest level of recognition for Saunders alumni. All RIT alumni award categories are online. For each specific award please visit one of the following links, or consider submitting a nomination form. 

Faculty Recognitions: Driving Innovation

Click to learn more about Saunders faculty, Distinguished Professorships and Zutes Faculty Fellowships.

Awards and Recognitions for Staff

Saunders College is proud to offer exceptional faculty and staff to serve our students and prepare them for greatness. Many distinguished faculty and staff have been recognized at a college and university level for their efforts. Saunders is thankful for their service.

Given annually to a Saunders College staff member who takes a student-centered approach to completing their job. The awardees provide a supportive environment and are highly accessible and approachable to the students they serve. The awardees are individuals who will assuredly follow up to ensure each student’s needs are met and are always cooperative and collaborative in doing so.

Given annually to a Saunders College staff member who has embraced and excelled in his or her position. Recipients of this award have displayed great enthusiasm towards their jobs, team, department, and college goals. Winners of the ‘Difference Maker Award’ are also proactive in identifying challenges and suggesting viable solutions. They are those who have earned the respect of their colleagues for their professionalism and integrity.

The Presidential Awards for Outstanding Staff include the Staff Recognition Awards, the Albert J. Simone Legacy Award, and the Isaac L. Jordan, Sr. Staff Pluralism Award. In 2019, four Saunders staff members were nominated. For full details on the awards and nominees, visit the RIT Presidential Awards for Outstanding Staff web pages.