New University Advisory Committee on Gender-Related Experience (UACGRE)

Dear RIT faculty and staff,

We are writing to share news of an important transition for the President’s Commission on Women. Going Forward, the PCW will become the University Advisory Committee on Gender-Related Experience (UACGRE). This advisory body reflects an evolution from the President’s Commission on Women—honoring its significant legacy, while broadening the scope to reflect the university’s current structures and priorities. We deeply value the history of the President’s Commission on Women and the contributions of its members, past and present. The work of this group is designed to carry forward that spirit of advocacy while embedding the work in a model that ensures sustainability, clarity, and institutional alignment. 

The role of the University Advisory Committee on Gender-Related Experience is to discuss and share observations regarding gender-related experiences of students, faculty, and staff, with specific attention to the learning environment and institutional climate. While the committee does not hold authority over policy, programming, or resource allocation, its advisory findings will be submitted to university leadership to inform policy decisions, program design, and resource allocation.

We are pleased to announce the co-leaders of our new University Advisory Committee on Gender-Related Experience: Heidi Nickisher, Ph.D., Principal Lecturer in the College of Art and Design, and Lana Verschage, Director of Student Engagement and Belonging and Women in Computing in the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. They have been selected as co-chairs in recognition of their sustained contributions to gender-related efforts at RIT and their active involvement with the President’s Commission on Women.  We sincerely thank them for being willing to take on this important role.

Heidi Nickisher, Ph.D., is a Principal Lecturer in the College of Art and Design. Her scholarship in visual culture has driven innovative, interdisciplinary exploration of gender in the arts at RIT. She also currently serves as the Provost’s Faculty Associate for Non Tenure-track faculty. Lana Verschage is the Director of Student Engagement and Belonging and Women in Computing within the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. She has spearheaded mentorship networks, K–12 outreach, and the growth of WiCHacks—a hackathon that now draws over 200 women technologists annually. She was the 2025 recipient of RIT’s Edwina Award, which recognizes significant achievement to advance gender equity at RIT.

The provost will, with input from the new co-chairs and our shared governance groups, appoint members to this new committee who can represent a broad range of perspectives and experiences across the university. Membership will be intentionally diverse in role, background, and disciplinary area to ensure a comprehensive view of gender-related experiences.

We extend our deepest gratitude to Betsy Dell for her leadership of the President’s Commission on Women since 2019 and Darci Lane who co-chaired the Commission from 2022-2024. Betsy’s initiatives—from founding the Council for Representation and Engagement of Women Faculty (CREW) to leading the AdvanceRIT office—have significantly furthered gender equity at RIT. While Betsy will step down as co-chair, she will maintain an advisory role to the new co-chairs through her retirement at the end of this academic year, ensuring a seamless transition.  Darci’s work with PCW enabled vibrant and relevant programming that worked to further advance the university’s goals.  We also want to express our sincere gratitude to all the members of the PCW—your contributions have been vital to the commission’s work and your dedication to advancing gender equity at RIT is deeply appreciated.

Sincerely,

Prabu David, Provost

Bill Sanders, President