Keith Jenkins
Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion
Keith Jenkins
Vice President and Associate Provost for Diversity and Inclusion
Education
BA, University of Arkansas; MA, Ph.D., Florida State University
Bio
Since joining the Department of Communication at RIT in 1992, Professor Jenkins, in addition to his current role as Vice President & Associate Provost for Diversity & Inclusion, has also served as RIT Faculty-in-Residence (1993 – 1995), RIT’s first Assistant Provost for Diversity (1999 – 2002), Director of Undergraduate Degree Programs in the School of Communication (2011 – 2016), and Interim Vice President and Associate Provost, Divison for Diversity & Inclusion (2016 - 2017).
Professor Jenkins is the recipient of many awards. Among the RIT awards are the 2010 Eisenhart Award for Outstanding Teaching, the 2005 Isaac L. Jordan Pluralism Award, the 2004 RIT Diversity Trailblazer Award, the 1993-94 Provost’s Excellence in Teaching Award, the 1996 and 1997 Higher Education Opportunity Program “Community Professor” awards which recognize a professor who has made a difference in the lives of HEOP students at RIT, and NTID’s (National Technical Institute for the Deaf) 1995 Pluralism Award.
Professor Jenkins’ scholarly publications and presentations center around studies in intercultural communication, political and visual rhetoric, and the rhetoric of gospel song. Most recently, the focus of his research has been on pragmatism and the rhetoric of inclusion in Barack Obama’s 2008 Presidential campaign.
Currently Teaching
In the News
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October 2, 2020
![sculpture of Frederick Douglass.]()
RIT unveils Frederick Douglass sculpture and four cultural flags in Student Alumni Union
RIT unveiled a new sculpture of Frederick Douglass and a display of four cultural flags in the university’s Student Alumni Union. The sculpture was commissioned in celebration of the 50th anniversary of RIT’s Black Awareness Coordinating Committee, and the Haudenosaunee flag, the Black Lives Matter flag, the Rainbow or Pride flag, and the Sign Union Flag serve as a visual marker of RIT's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
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October 2, 2020
![Black Lives Matter logo on yellow background.]()
RIT students plan BLM rally on campus
A Black Lives Matter rally, complete with speakers, music, poetry, and dancing groups, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 3, on campus by RIT students. Performances are expected by RIT Velocity, a student-run urban dance team, and Sunshine 2.0 performance group from RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf.
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September 16, 2020
![INSIGHT Into Diversity announcing 2020 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity Award]()
RIT named ‘Top College for Diversity’ and ‘Diversity Champion’ by INSIGHT Into Diversity
INSIGHT Into Diversity magazine has recognized RIT as a 2020 Higher Education Excellence in Diversity (HEED) Award recipient and a 2020 Diversity Champion. This marks the seventh year in a row RIT has been named a HEED Award recipient and sixth consecutive year as a Diversity Champion.
