News Stories

When RIT President Mark Ellingson moved the campus from downtown Rochester to farmland in the nearby town of Henrietta in 1968, it was visionary. Ellingson was confident RIT’s academic leadership and reputation would progress “at a constant accelerated pace.” Today, RIT is taking a leading role on the global stage.

The trial-and-error process of artisan crafts like throwing clay on a pottery wheel or carving a wood sculpture is something that students outside of RIT’s art and design programs may not be familiar with. Through a new program called RIT Art Experience (ArtEx), students from across the university can enjoy hands-on creative exploration with a variety of artistic media ranging from ceramics and wood to molten metal and glass.

RIT’s makerspace capacity has grown exponentially from a crowded room on the fourth floor in an engineering building to three floors in the centrally located SHED. New last fall, the SHED complex showcases different kinds of making and learning under one roof—in workshops, performing arts spaces, and extra-large classrooms designed for active learning.

The Rochester Beacon talks to Tiffany Brodner, executive director, Student Hall for Exploration and Development, about the new Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED) and its impact as the campus' creative hub.

RIT students will have a chance to show their talents and compete for cash prizes during Ovation: RIT Performing Arts Showcase, from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 2 in Ingle Auditorium in the Student Alumni Union, as a part of FreezeFest.

Each year, RIT welcomes nearly 2,000 students from more than 100 countries to its campus. The draw of a top-notch STEM education, along with a nationally ranked co-op and internship program and an increasing global reach with numerous opportunities for programmatic exchanges, gives students the chance for real-world work experiences and career focus.

More than 500 incoming students this academic year received a performing arts scholarship, which were created to enable musicians, dancers, actors, and even students with experience in technical theater to continue to pursue their passion for performance while at RIT. To date, some 1,800 students have received scholarships in the five years they have been available.

RIT is set to welcome researchers and educators from across the U.S. and North and South America during the 2024 a2ru national conference. The conference will take place Nov. 14-16, and session proposals are being accepted online with a deadline of March 15 to submit.

Come explore inside the SHED (Student Hall for Exploration and Development) during an open house for the RIT community.

Students in the History and Technology of Musical Instruments class taught by Matias Homar at RIT got the chance to take a discarded harpsichord and bring it to life, juicing it up with electricity, connecting it with a computer and monitors, and adding sensors, microphones, and even lights to it.

With its five extra-large classrooms, seven makerspaces, performing arts studios, and glass box theater, the $120 million SHED complex is made for a new generation of RIT students who see themselves as makers and doers, performers, and active learners.

The inaugural production in the newest building on the RIT campus, AstroDance II: Across the Universe, premiered Dec. 1 to 3 and featured a variety of dance, aerial and circus arts, and augmented reality.