2026 Spring Semester Newsletter
News and Inspiration from the College of Liberal Arts -
2026 Spring Semester Newsletter
A Message from the Dean
As spring approaches, we will have an opportunity to celebrate the success of our college: Imagine RIT exhibits, the Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Awards, the Kearse Writing Awards, and the hooding and graduation ceremonies.
Rebecca DeRoo Named William A. Kern Professor in Communication
The joy of discovery and the exchange of ideas has propelled Professor Rebecca J. DeRoo forward through her 22 years of teaching. After 11 years of sharing engaging research and discussions with students and faculty at RIT, DeRoo was named as the next William A. Kern Professor in Communications.
Dynamic Interdisciplinary Programs Open Doors
COLA’s Humanities, Computing, and Design (HCD) bachelor’s degree is among the “new economy majors” that helped earn RIT a spot on Forbes’ newly released 15 Top Colleges For Launching Your Career list. A distinctly RIT interdisciplinary program, it combines the study of new media design, web and mobile development, database management, and computing with a range of liberal arts fields like communication, culture, history, journalism, literature, and the arts. The result is an adaptable, flexible, high-demand skill set that helps students like Jacob Brodeur land co-ops and grads launch dynamic careers.
Read about Jacob's dream co-op with the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority >
Save the Date: Spring Semester Traditions You Won't Want to Miss
Of all the seasons of a typical university year, spring is perhaps the busiest. Undergraduate capstones are polished up and prepared for presentation. Award and honors ceremonies recognize outstanding scholars. Conferences and symposiums bring people together to discuss the important issues of our day. Music, dance, and theatre performances inspire, and milestones—from having successfully survived your first year of college to being ready to cross the stage on commencement day—are met.
It’s a time that celebrates big ideas, community, and hope, and you won’t want to miss a moment of it this year. Bookmark the RIT events calendar and make time on your calendar to engage and participate. Here is just a sampling of what’s in store:
- February 28: Political Science Undergraduate Conference
- March 27: Symposium on Women, Gender, Sexuality, and Technologies
- April 17: Climate Havens Symposium: Humanistic Perspectives on Resilience, Migration, and Resources
- April 17-19: Pure Imagination: The Magical Candy Shoppe a vibrant fusion of dance, music, American Sign Language (ASL), and multimedia.
- April 25: Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival
- April 29: COLA Undergraduate Capstone Conference
- May 7-9, 2026: Commencement 2026
An inside look
Hello, friend.
Get to know the people who keep the College of Liberal Arts moving forward in these regularly updated profiles.
Nominate a faculty or staff member for a future profile spotlight
Meet Florence Ayemhoba, Global Scholar
A fourth-year Psychology major with an immersion in criminal justice
- Shameless brag: I have friends that are doctors, nurses, engineers, computer analysts, designers, photographers and the whole lot! Super proud to know smart and talented people!
- Three foods I can’t live without: Jollof rice, plantains, and roasted yams with grilled fish and sauce (I’m really Nigerian.)
- A goal or dream I am working towards: I have a very important goal I’m working on. It’s a blog called “Diary of an African child”.
- Advice for younger me: No matter how scared you are, speak, get angry, it’s okay to be angry, don’t doubt your hurt or pain, your feelings are your feelings and they’re valid!
- On my perfect day off, I’m most likely to be found: eating or sleeping or rewatching Korean drama or anime
Newsmakers
April 3, 2026
Emily Wood and Katherine Wood, students in the biomedical sciences program, and experiential psychology MS student Natalie Fornieri presented their research at the 97th annual Eastern Psychological Association meeting March 6-8 in Boston. The research was conducted in collaboration with Stephanie Godleski and Rebecca Houston, associate professors, and Joseph Baschnagel , chair of the Department of Psychology.
April 3, 2026
Kristoffer Whitney, associate professor in the Department of Science, Technology, and Society, published “Making Nature Accessible: Wallace Craig and the Wood Pewee” in Transactions of the American Philosophical Society. The project highlights 'Deaf Gain' in the history of biology.
March 27, 2026
Evelyn Brister, professor of philosophy, published “Value pluralism supports portfolio approaches in conservation” in Ambio: A Journal of Environment and Society. The article and a related presentation at the annual conference of the Society for the Advancement of American Philosophy traced how ethics supports inclusive decision-making for nature conservation.
March 27, 2026
Amit Batabyal, the Arthur J. Gosnell Professor of Economics and head of the Department of Sustainability, was named a Fellow of the Southern Regional Science Association at its annual conference in Louisville, Ky.
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See the full list of Newsmakers here
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