May 2026 Newsletter | Close of the Academic Year
News and Inspiration from the College of Liberal Arts -
May 2026 Newsletter | Close of the Academic Year
Striving Toward a Strong Future
A Message from the Dean
This past semester, COLA began gathering feedback from faculty, staff, students, and stakeholders to lay the groundwork for our next five-year strategic plan. In parallel, RIT's Board of Trustees recently voted to adopt a new university-wide strategic framework, and COLA's plan will be developed in thoughtful alignment with that broader vision. Together, these efforts represent a rare opportunity to define what our college will strive toward in the years ahead.
A Goal in Flight: How Jillian Antol Turned a Freshman Tradition into a Global Mission
At RIT’s convocation each fall, it’s tradition for new students to write hopes or goals on orange sheets of paper, fold them into paper airplanes, and launch them together at the ceremony. Symbolic and fun, it represents the beginning of their new journey as Tigers and celebrates what lies ahead for them. For Jillian Antol, that goal came to fruition in a flash.
Recently, Jillian share a glimpse of her RIT journey as well as a shout out of thanks to a few folks who made her experience so special.
Read the profile featuring Jillian >
Read the news story about Jillian's next steps and plans for Peace Corps service >
Grad thrives in the courtroom and classroom
Ryan Lamon ’17 (criminal justice) had always envisioned himself as a law enforcement officer, but his time at RIT—particularly an internship with the U.S. Marshals Service—altered that vision and changed his path. Today he serves as a special assistant district attorney for Monroe County’s Major Felony Bureau.
College of Liberal Arts Faculty and Staff Recognized for Exemplary Service
At its annual spring celebration last month, the College of Liberal Arts recognized more than 50 faculty and staff members for their years of service and exemplary professionalism. Additionally, promotions for several faculty members were recently announced.
An inside look
A round-up view of just a few of our proudest moments this spring.
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 Tina Sutton, Professor and incoming Director of the School of Psychology and Cognitive Science
Favorite read: My go to series of books when I want to read for fun are the Women’s Murder Club books by James Patterson.
Three foods you can’t live without:
- Cheese, all kinds
- dark chocolate,
- bread
What or who inspires you? My family inspires me! My kids are always willing to try new things and motivate me to engage in new activities like exploring Anakeesta in the Great Smoky Mountains in the rain.
A goal or dream you are working towards: Run a second half marathon. I was challenged by the first finishing in just under two hours, and I want to beat that time!
Three experiences or destinations on your bucket list:
- Visit all 30 ballparks. I have made it to 26 (just went to T-Mobile park, home of the Seattle Mariners this week) and have four more to go (all in California).
- Travel to Greece to experience the history and cuisine.
- See the Buffalo Bills win a Superbowl!
Newsmakers
October 2, 2026
Noah Baumgaertel, a fourth-year political science and industrial design double major, and Caitlin Ciancanelli, a fourth-year psychology major, presented at the New York State Political Science Conference on Sept. 26, alongside Divya Ramjee, assistant professor of public policy and criminal justice, and Marjorie Prokosch, assistant professor of psychology. Their paper, “How Does Political Identity Affect Support for Collective Action? A Text Analysis Study on Prototypes of Climate Change Impact,” uses NLP and text analysis techniques to better understand how political ideology impacts how people imagine individuals impacted by climate change and how these depictions ultimately impact their support for environmental policy and desire to take collective action.
September 17, 2026
Silvia Benso, professor of philosophy and director of the women's, gender, and sexuality studies program, presented “Reconfiguring Power and Subjectivity through Carla Lonzi’s Feminism” at the international workshop on Thinking War Otherwise: Critical and Genealogical Perspectives at the New School for Social Research on Sept. 14. The presentation explores notions of power and subjectivity that allow for collective empowerment without turning into oppressive forms of imposition, domination and exclusion.
September 16, 2026
RIT Libraries received a 2026 Institute of Museum and Library Services Laura Bush 21st Century Librarian planning grant for the project ”Building Workforce Capacity in Emerging Imaging Technologies for Library Professionals,” led by Greg Decker, manager of metadata and digital scholarship services, and Juilee Decker, director of the museum studies program. Project team members include Tom Rieger, Professor of Practice in the College of Liberal Arts Nicholas Paulus, digital initiatives specialist for RIT Libraries; Michael Buffalin IV, director of the SHED Makerspace; and peers from University of Rochester and Colgate University. The two-year project will assess workforce needs, develop and pilot openly licensed educational resources and training, and create a scalable model to help library professionals implement sustainable, standards-aligned digitization programs.
September 16, 2026
Richard Fadok, assistant professor, and Conerly Casey, associate professor, both in the School of Humanities, Languages, and Social Sciences, were recognized by the Central New York Humanities Corridor with inaugural Outstanding Working Group Awards on Sept. 14. Fadok co-organizes the Urban Natures working group, and Casey, the War Ecologies group.
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See the full list of Newsmakers here
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