Complementary Learning

Complementary Learning

Complementary Learning is an integral part of the Honors experience at RIT that supports student participation in activities that complement traditional academic work.

There are three main categories of activity that are approved for complementary learning: service and volunteerism with a registered non-profit, leadership activity, and engaging in the intellectual and cultural life of the University. Activities that are academic in nature or are considered professional development are not approved for complementary learning. Check the Honors Handbook for more detailed information about what counts as complementary learning, how to report what you've done, and how many hours you need each year to maintain good standing in the program. Here are a few reminders to help you stay on track:

  • The complementary learning cycle runs from Sept. 1 - Aug. 31 each year
  • Complementary learning is an annual requirement that does not accumulate year over year (check your entry year handbook for specific information)
  • The maximum number of hours you can submit for any one activity or for activities with a single organization is 15 hours
  • Hours should be submitted contemporaneously, within a month of the activity
  • Progress towards your annual requirement is checked after the cycle closes in August. If at that time you have not met the annual requirement you will be placed into conditional standing and will have one semester to make up any deficit from the previous cycle

Do you have complementary learning hours to submit? Record your activity here

Need help submitting your complementary learning?

Current and Ongoing Opportunities:

 

Please see below events and activities that are approved by the Honors Program office for Complementary Learning. This webpage is updated regularly to add new opportunities - but they are in no way the only activities you can take part in to earn complementary learning hours. Please reach out to the Honors office if you have any questions. 

1/24 | Leadership Retreat: Build-A-Bike

Join the CLCE and the Leader's Institute on Saturday. January 24 from 12 - 2 pm in the SHED Atrium. Teams will work together through a series of leadership challenges to construct a bike that will be donated to the R Community Bikes for children in Rochester. Test your communication, collaboration, and critical thinking skills, all while working towards a good cause.

 

Register as a team or independently here.

January 24, 2026

12 - 2pm

SHED Atrium

1/27 momentum I: Leadership Development Program (Track A) - Info Session and Program

Momentum I PosterMomentum I is RIT's centralized leadership launchpad to introduce students to meaningful competency development and to increase their sense of belonging through connections to key leadership opportunities including Orientation Leaders, Residence Advisors, and Wellness Peer Educators.

During session I, we will address the power of self-awareness and how it relates to a number of key leadership experiences in the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement. Come prepared to do a deep dive into some of your strengths and areas of growth.

There is an interest meeting on the 21st on January between 5:00 pm - 6:00 pm in the Student Alumni Union, 1829 Room. The interest meeting is not approved for complementary learning but is required to take part in the program. All subsequent meetings would be accepted for complementary learning.

Sign up for the interest meeting here 

January 27, 2026
12:15 pm - 1:45 pm
Schmitt Interfaith Center
Room/Location: Skalny Room (SMT-A500)

1/29 | Small Group Discussion with King's Legacy Keynote Eddie Glaude Jr.

Visionary Voices in white text on blue backgroundThe Honors Program has been invited to participate in a small group discussion with this year's Expression of King's Legacy speaker, Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr.

This exclusive setting will allow students to engage in dialogue with Glaude Jr. discussing the importance of James Baldwin's contributions to the civil rights movement and how his writings, social criticism, and cultural analysis are relevant and instructive in today's highly politicized world.

Register here

Thurs. Jan 29
11 AM – 11:45 AM
Location Gordon Field House Reception Room (2nd floor)
Complementary Learning Category: Cultural / Intellectual Engagement

1/29 | Women Photojournalists of Washington Talk + Exhibition

 

Women in PhotoJournalismSince 2008, the Women Photojournalists of Washington annual Photography and Multimedia Exhibition has featured storytelling images and video from WPOW members curated from an annual competition of our members’ work by a rotating roster of judges. It debuts at a Washington, D.C., area gallery each fall and travels to colleges and universities throughout the country during the school year. RIT's School of Photographic Arts and Sciences welcomes the exhibition to William Harris Gallery, organized by photojournalism faculty Jenn Poggi and Kristen McNicholas. More about the event can be discovered here.  Just the artist talk is viable for complementary learning.

January 29, 2026
All Day
Frank E. Gannett Hall
Room/Location: William Harris Gallery (third floor)

1/30 | Engaging Rochester

Engaging Rochester Poster with Gene DePrez on itHonoring the life and legacy of Gene DePrez, visionary founder of Rochester’s Urbanarium and civic innovator.
This is a two-day symposium honoring the life and legacy of Gene DePrez, civic innovator and visionary founder of Rochester’s Urbanarium. Day two events will be held at the Kate Gleason Auditorium, 1st floor, Bausch & Lomb Building, Central Library of Rochester & Monroe County, 115 South Ave. More details about the event are here.

January 30, 2026
4:30 pm - 8:30 pm
MAGIC Spell Studios
Room/Location: Wegman's Theatre

1/31 | FreezeFest: Into the ROC: King for a Day

Freezefest poster, white font on blue background with snowflakesJoin Into the ROC as we partner with other area colleges for a day of service and action to honor the life and work of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and other contributors to the civil rights movement. The program will begin with a community kickoff event at the Edgerton Ballroom with breakfast, speakers, and performances. We will then travel to the Flying Squirrel Community Space to work on a community art project with Community Cuties, an offshoot of the Free Art Collective. Transportation will be provided, and it is strongly recommended that you take the bus. A bus will leave from the Sentinel statue promptly at 8:30 a.m., and we will return to campus by 1 p.m. More information can be found about the event here.

January 31, 2026
8:30 am - 1:00 pm
Room/Location: Off Campus: Edgerton Stardust Ballroom

2/04 | ROAR the Vote Tabling

Roar The Vote Tabling posterThe ROAR the Vote initiative is led by the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement and the Office of Government and Community Relations.  At this event you will be expected to help folks with voter registration, checking registration, absentee ballot requests, and questions! All of this needs to be done in a nonpartisan fashion. You must be trained as a ROAR the Vote VAN or volunteer to partake in this event. If you would like to be trained, please reach out directly to Bill St. Jean at brsrla@rit.edu or Ben Smith at btsrli@rit.edu. Other opportunities like this are available on Campus Groups

Wed, Feb 4, 2026
9 AM – 11 AM 
SHED lobby

3/06 |The Big Night Out Gala by Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochester

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Rochetser logoWe are in need of videographers to capture mentor/mentee stories (video), candid and program videos AND general photography throughout the night including a photo area. The event is from 5-11pm at Arbor Midtown. Click here for the details of the event. Training will be provided for any volunteers for about 20-30 minutes (virtual) between Feb 23. through March 3.

Contact Dmclaren@bbbsr.org | 585-410-0151 for more information and to express an interest in volunteering

 

Fri. March 6
5-11 PM
Arbor Midtown, 183 East Main Street, Rochester, NY 14604

 

4/11-12 | Relay For Life | Cancer Walk

relay for lifeMore than just a fundraising walk, Relay For Life is a movement. For 40 years, passionate supporters have come together to advance the American Cancer Society’s vision: ending cancer as we know it, for everyone. Relay For Life celebrates survivors, honors caregivers, remembers loved ones lost, and raises funds to ensure that everyone has the chance to prevent, detect, treat, and survive cancer. Take the chance to volunteer for the cause by clicking here
April 11-12
6pm-6am
Gordon Field House

International Conversation Partner Program

International Conversation Partner posterIn this program, students will be able to exchange culture and language through weekly sessions with their partners. Volunteers would need to meet with their partners once a week until the final two weeks of class. We hope your experience with your conversation partner will lead to good friendships and help you expand your global perspective! Sign up here.

Honors Council

Flat StanleyHonors Council

Attend an Honors Council meeting to learn more about getting involved in the Honors Program! Council meetings are a great way to meet and talk to your college's delegate, hear updates on Honors events, and provide feedback and suggestions for what you want to see. Honors Council dates and locations for the fall semester will be announced soon.

Attending Council meetings counts for 1/2 hour of complementary learning.
Category: Participation in the Intellectual and Cultural Life at RIT 

Approved Virtual and Summer Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteer this summer by getting involved in your community - in person or virtually! There are many online organizations that run on volunteers. These include transcribing documents for the Smithsonian, captioning TEDTalks, and contributing to conservation efforts by tagging animals in photos.

A list of approved virtual opportunities can be found here.

A list of approved nonprofit organization volunteer opportunities can be found here.

If you find an opportunity not listed and would like it checked, send an email to honors@rit.edu to see if its eligible for comp learning.

Ongoing Volunteer Opportunities

Connect with Rochester! The CLCE has an ongoing list of local organizations looking for volunteers that can be found here. They have a variety of focuses to explore, including Food Justice, Housing, Community Development, Environment, Animal Welfare, Activism, Youth Development, Health and Wellness, and Parks and Recreation!

Check out our other opportunities below!

Testimonials

  • “Throughout my experience with the American Cancer Society, I had the opportunity to learn about many different types of cancer, listen to the stories of many cancer survivors/fighters, educate others on cancer, and help bring awareness to the disease through a variety of activities. I had the opportunity to listen to many people's stories about how cancer affected them personally and relate to them and support them on an emotional level. I was able to help bring awareness to the disease by participating in many different fundraising events, and this opportunity helped me meet a new community of people who all shared the same interest. It taught me a lot about a relevant disease in our world currently and having the ability to come together with a group of people and participate in different events to raise awareness was very meaningful to me. I felt like this opportunity helped me feel welcomed in the RIT community, and I feel like I gained a lot from the social and intellectual aspects of my comp learning.”

    -Mikayla Leibenguth CHST

  • “It's really easy to get bogged down with the expectations you fail to meet for yourself. Then you start just focusing on all the things you can't do and you fail to realize all the things you can. This year's comp learning helped me to realize that there is nothing wrong with changing your goals and expectations if you need to because at the end of the day, any efforts are better than none.”

    -Isaac Buswell COS

  • “Complementary Learning helped me begin to find my place in the RIT and Rochester Area Community. As a first-year student, Complementary Learning helped me start exploring the Greater Rochester Area through the Into the ROC activities. I also learned more about the different organizations and opportunities on the RIT campus to help other students such as RIT Food Share. When I returned home on winter break, I was excited to get involved and connected with my community again through the FIRST Robotics Tournament”

    -Rachael Tobey CET

  • “Many of the hours I completed for complementary learning this year were focused on leadership for alpha Kappa Delta Phi and other organizations I am passionate about. This leadership position has taught me how to effectively voice my opinions and communicate effectively with other members of the organization, the International Leadership Board, and other organizations on campus. Additionally, it taught me how to organize weekly chapter/e-board meetings and lead workshops to fulfill our Risk Management requirement from International Leadership Board. This experience has given me the ability to separate my personal feelings in a professional environment, a skill necessary which was necessary for me to succeed in my internship/co-op that I took for summer 2022 and fall 2022.”

    -Crystal Qu KGCOE

  • "I've learned the importance of volunteers and those who donate their time, skills, and resources to the impoverished. Thanks to the help of volunteer lawyers, doctors, and even college students like me, we've helped keep these families afloat, whether it be through providing them with emergency food supplies, legal counsel they couldn't normally get, preventing shutoffs of their utilities, helping out with housing problems, and so much more. Even if it's just something little, the contributions of every volunteer matters."


    -Albert Hynes GCCIS

  •  "I do not volunteer for the recognition. I volunteer because I care, I enjoy it and because I believe that it is a responsibility for all to partake in. A responsibility that entails giving back to others, giving back to those less fortunate, or to simply help others.” 

    -Zayneb Ghazle CHST

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