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
November 11, 2026
Noah Baumgaertel, a fourth-year political science and industrial design student, and Divya Ramjee, assistant professor of criminal justice, presented “AI Tools and Sentencing Decisions: Analysis of Pennsylvania Sentencing Data for Legal Financial Obligations” at the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management conference on Nov. 7. Co-authored with Ashique KhudaBukhsh, assistant professor of software engineering, and Sreeja Reddy Bobbili, a data science graduate student, the paper uses Pennsylvania Commission on Sentencing data to assess the accuracy of AI tools for judges and examine technical, legal, and ethical issues surrounding their use in sentencing.
November 11, 2026
Christian Bolden, assistant professor of criminal justice, received the 2026 Outstanding Article Award from the American Society of Criminology’s Division of Convict Criminology for the paper “‘I don’t know you no more, and you don’t know me’: Complicated family dynamics for those formerly serving life sentences,” published in Homicide Studies.
November 11, 2026
Nickesia Gordon, associate professor of communication, published “Can I get a witness! Sister circles and peer mentoring in academia: a critical reflection” in Mentoring & Tutoring: Partnership in Learning. Using an autoethnographic approach, the article examines how peer mentoring sister circles for women of color support Black women academics at predominantly white institutions.
November 11, 2026
Katrina Overby, assistant professor in the Department of Communication, published “#GirlDad: Exploring the Re-presentations of Black Fatherhood in Digital Spaces,” co-authored with colleagues from Jackson State University and North Carolina State University, in Communication, Culture & Critique. The study examines how Black fathers use #GirlDad to challenge stereotypes of absentee fatherhood, affirm their involvement in their daughters’ lives, and build community.
Are you a newsmaker, too? Submit your news now
See the full list of Newsmakers here
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