College of Liberal Arts News
Department of Communication

Diverse subjects involving safety and autonomous automobiles, Black women in computing, and Italian cinema are just some of the winning entries for this year’s student writing awards, sponsored by RIT’s College of Liberal Arts.

RIT’s College of Liberal Arts began the academic year under new leadership. Dean Anna Stenport joined RIT from Georgia Institute of Technology’s Ivan Allen College of Liberal Arts in September following a nationwide search. Stenport is a professor of communication and an expert in transnational cinema and media, modern literature and drama, and visual and cultural studies, with a focus on the Arctic and Nordic regions.

After the contested 2020 presidential election, the tumult of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, and the national protests following the killing of George Floyd, RIT looked inward to see how to address the political climate with the student body. The result is an increased effort to create a campus culture of free speech and to give students the skills to participate in civil discourse respectfully and productively long after they graduate.

The Washington Post features RIT/NTID alumni Youmee Lee ’13 (professional technical communications) and Laural Hartman ’05 (illustration), ’07 MS (secondary education of students who are deaf or hard of hearing), ’20 MFA (fine arts studio) and former Dyer Arts Center Director Tabitha Jacques.

RIT’s School of Communication has appointed Tracy Worrell, professor of communication, as its new director. The previous director, Kelly Norris Martin, is now associate dean of faculty and staff affairs in the College of Liberal Arts.

Blind Magazine features  Jonathan Schroeder, the William A. Kern Professor in Communications, and his new book, Designed for Dancing: How Midcentury Records Taught America to Dance.

Essay by Hinda Mandell, associate professor in the School of Communication, published in the Chicago Tribune.

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 53: RIT is diversifying its faculty in many ways, and the Future Faculty Career Exploration Program is one of the most important avenues for doing so. Katrina Overby, assistant professor in RIT’s School of Communication and a past participant in the program, talks with Donathan Brown, assistant provost and assistant vice president for faculty diversity and recruitment, about why the program is seen as a model nationally in launching the careers of underrepresented scholars.

PRINT talks to Jonathan Schroeder, the William A. Kern Professor in Communications, about his new book, Designed for Dancing: How Midcentury Records Taught America to Dance.

RIT appointed two new members — who are also alumni — to its board of trustees. Kathy Yu ’91 has more than 20 years of experience in the technology and semiconductor manufacturing sectors. Nick Schneider ’10, ’10 MS is a principal at Boston Consulting Group, where he is a lead in the company’s technology, media, and telco sector.

Denishea Ortiz, executive director of Strategic Marketing for RIT’s Auxiliary Services, has been named a recipient of Rochester Business Journal’s 27th annual Forty Under 40 award. The award recognizes young professionals and future leaders for giving back to the Rochester community.

Students from majors across RIT fused historical knowledge, 3D printing and various pottery practices to create replicas of ancient Greek vessels.