Senior Vice President
Senior Vice President and Treasurer
Message from the Senior Vice President and Treasurer
The division of Finance and Administration is organized and operated to provide premier service to the university in the stewardship of its human, physical, financial, technological and informational resources. The staff members of Finance and Administration are among the most talented and dedicated professionals in higher education. Learn more about Finance and Administration >
University Town Hall Recording
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Biography
Dr. James Watters is Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration and Treasurer. He oversees the activity of over 880 full-time employees and 1,500 student workers. He is responsible for administering the university’s annual $1.1 billion operating budget and $337 million capital budget; $1.6 billion endowment and working capital portfolios; and $400 million public debt portfolio. Dr. Watters is responsible for the departments within the Division of Finance and Administration.
He is vice chair of RIT’s Global Delivery Corporation which overseas RIT’s international campuses located in Zagreb and Dubrovnik, Croatia; Pristina, Kosovo; Dubai; and China. He holds the position of chairman of the RIT Croatia Board of Trustees and trustee for RIT Dubai’s Board of Trustees.
Dr. Watters serves on several non-profit and for-profit boards, including the New York Kitchen, Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Broadstone Net Lease Board of Directors, and Canandaigua National Bank Board of Directors.
Dr. Watters came to RIT from the University of Pittsburgh, where he spent his academic and previous professional years and earned a BS, MS, and Ph.D.
Campus Aesthetics Committee
The architecture of RIT is characterized by a high degree of recognized design excellence, and was purposefully designed in a consistent vocabulary of architectural form.
It is imperative that any proposal to change or add to the campus environment be subject to close analysis and regulation.
It is the role of the Campus Aesthetics Committee to fulfill this responsibility in an advisory role to the Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration.
In the News
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September 9, 2024
![a student in a blue long sleeve shirt writes a math equation on a whiteboard.]()
Universitywide effort hopes to improve math readiness and success for incoming students
RIT is making strides to better prepare first-year students for math coursework through the implementation of a revamped math placement examination. The new exam helps determine areas of strength and those requiring additional attention, focusing on tackling individual students’ gaps in learning. -
August 21, 2024
![Rochester Police investigate a homicide on Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, at the corner of Joseph Avenue and Seabrooke Street where a male was assaulted. Officers located an adult-aged male suffering from upper body trauma. The victim was transported to Strong Hospital, where he died from from his injuries.]()
Shootings and other violent crime are down in Rochester, mirroring national trend
WXXI talks to Irshad Altheimer, professor in the Department of Criminal Justice and director of the Center for Public Safety Initiatives, about the three-year decline in shootings in the city of Rochester.
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August 19, 2024
![a student and an adult unload a van with the help of an R I T volunteer.]()
RIT welcomes more than 3,100 new undergraduates this week
The new students come from 47 states (all but Arkansas, North Dakota, and Wyoming), Washington, D.C., and 44 foreign countries. They are among the most well-rounded and academically prepared classes at RIT, with average high school GPA's of 93.8 percent, up from 93 percent last year.
Signatory Authority
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