News Stories

New state-of-the-art sound isolation rehearsal rooms which can simulate being in a small room, large arena, or even a cathedral are available to RIT students involved in performing arts.

RIT honored the service and dedication of its employees with the Presidential Awards for Outstanding Staff ceremony Feb. 17. The annual awards, this year held as a webinar, are presented to staff members who exemplify outstanding service and dedication to the university and who exhibit a high degree of personal ethics and integrity while consistently demonstrating a strong commitment to student success.

An image showing a tiger emerging from an ocean of pandemic, climbing toward a ray of light, has been selected as this year’s poster for the Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival. The poster was designed by Luke Chen, a second-year new media design major.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo has announced an expansive statewide arts festival consisting of pop-up events, “NY PopsUp,” which will feature more than 300 performances that will take place across the state to help revitalize the struggling live entertainment sector. RIT was contacted and asked to host a “NY PopsUp” performance by Garth Fagan Dance to say thank you to some of our frontline workers.

In an effort to do everything possible to deliver a festival this summer, the producers of the CGI Rochester International Jazz Festival are pleased to announce that planning is underway to present the festival’s 19th edition this year on the RIT campus. 

Student a cappella group Brick City Singers took top prize in the fourth annual Dr. Munson’s Performing Arts Challenge, held last Friday. Eleven students or student groups participated virtually in the finals, ranging from classical music, dance, American Sign Language music interpretation, and singing accompanied with guitar or baritone ukulele.

Cheer on some of RIT’s best student entertainers who will perform virtually in Dr. Munson’s Performing Arts Challenge.

Outdoor ice skating, Dr. Munson’s Performing Arts Challenge, giveaways, hot chocolate, and a virtual escape room are some of the activities planned for this year’s FreezeFest beginning Feb. 4 on the RIT campus.

Now in its second year, the Performing Arts Scholars Program at RIT has more than doubled in participants, with 368 first-year students involved in classical or jazz instrumental music, voice, musical theater, acting, technical theater, dance, or video game composition.

Phil Castleberry, a 20-year veteran of higher education advancement, began at RIT last February as the vice president for Development and Alumni Relations, now called the Division of University Advancement. Here are his thoughts on philanthropy and engagement at RIT.

RIT welcomed 3,129 first-year students last fall. For students seeking a bachelor’s degree, their average SAT score was just under 1300, and the average ACT score was 30. Sixty-three were at the top of their high school graduating class.

Analytical thinking, complex problem solving, creativity, resiliency, and flexibility are among the top skills needed for emerging careers by 2025. Anticipating these rapid changes in the workplace—further accelerated by lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic—RIT is seizing on the opportunity to guide students to “new economy majors” that are multi­disciplinary, transformative, and future-focused.