Newsmakers

Highlighting the professional and academic accomplishments of College of Liberal Arts students, faculty, and staff.

Newsmakers are a quick and easy way to acknowledge the professional and academic accomplishments of RIT students, faculty, and staff, such as publishing an article in a scholarly journal, presenting research at a conference, serving on a panel discussion, earning a scholarship, or winning an award. Newsmakers appear in News and Events as well as the "In the News" section on faculty/staff directory profile pages.

Submit a Newsmaker

March 2024

  • March 27, 2024

    James Walter, a third-year psychology major, was a panelist for the talk “And Now, Kiss: Learning about Intimacy from Romancing, Dating Sims, and Otome Games” and showcased his dating sim game designed to teach healthy relationships and beliefs at the PAX East conference March 21-24 in Boston.

  • March 22, 2024

    Students Olivia Bo Allaby, Ciara Bailey, Finn Cohen, Romiere Horace, Morgan Johnson, Megan Kelly, and Erika Mitchell, from the Department of Psychology, and Matthew Altobelli, a recent graduate of the experimental psychology master’s degree program, presented research at the Eastern Psychological Association meeting, Feb. 29-March 2 in Philadelphia. Faculty mentors from the psychology department are Joseph Baschnagel, Stephanie Godleski, Rebecca Houston, Marjorie Prokosch, Lindsay Schenkel, and Tina Sutton.

  • March 21, 2024

    Richard Newman, professor of history, was a featured speaker at a symposium, Religion and the American Revolution, hosted by the George Washington Presidential Library on Feb. 11 at Mount Vernon in Virginia. Newman’s talk was part of a gala fundraiser for Virginia’s Historic Pohick Church, which celebrated its 250th anniversary, and focused on African American religious leaders who helped inspire the abolitionist movement during the American Revolutionary era.

  • March 18, 2024

    Rebecca Scales, associate professor of history, edited a roundtable discussion published in the journal French History about the past, present, and future of disability history in France and Francophone contexts.

February 2024

  • February 28, 2024

    Kelley Holley, assistant professor in the School of Performing Arts, published the article “Subway Crush” in Theatre Research International on Feb. 26. The article examines the artistic representation of density on the subway, pre- and post-pandemic, and how subway density impacts access to the city.

  • February 9, 2024

    Ben Willmott, director of operations for the School of Performing Arts, published the article, “Assessing the Performing Arts Experience at a STEM-based Institution” in the February 2024 edition of the American Journal of Arts Management. The article highlights Willmott’s qualitative research study focused on students engaged in RIT’s Performing Arts Scholarship Program and explores efforts to integrate performing arts and STEM-based curricula at the higher education level.

  • February 1, 2024

    Three students involved in last year’s theatrical productions of “Deaf Republic” and “Thy Name is Woman” brought home awards from the Region II Kennedy Center American College Theatre Fest, held Jan. 24-27 in Pittsburgh.

    Ace Gray, a fourth-year English major from Silver Spring, Md., won the Irene Ryan Acting Scholarship Competition. Gray and their acting partner, Sarah Appel, a School of Individualized Study student from Austin, Texas, will go to the national competition in April at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.

    Serena Rush, a fourth-year psychology major also from Silver Spring, Md., received the best classical acting award. She also directed a 10-minute play for the National Playwriting Program and was recognized with the Outstanding Ensemble Performance award.

    McClain “Mac” Leong, a fourth-year SOIS major from Sterling, Va., will be one of eight finalists to participate in the national competition in Washington as a stage management fellow.