October was a wonderful month of connection and celebration across our NTID community. It was a pleasure to welcome members of the NTID Alumni Association and Foundation boards and the National Advisory Group, and to join students, families, alumni, and colleagues for Brick City Weekend. My sincere thanks to the students, faculty, and staff who participated in the wonderful panels during the board and NAG meetings. Your perspectives and experiences brought NTID’s story to life and reflected our community’s deep commitment to our students.

Dean Flavia Fleischer and I also had the pleasure of presenting an NTID Spotlight at the RIT Board of Trustees meeting. I was delighted by the positive reception and grateful for the opportunity to highlight the distinctive contributions our community makes to RIT.

I enjoyed being part of the NTID Math and Science Conference and reconnecting with former students and both former and current colleagues. It was inspiring to see our collective passion for making science and mathematics education accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing students.

I was pleased to share our commitment to student success at the Cal-Ed and CSAVR conferences. My Cal-Ed keynote explored AI’s potential to expand opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, with deaf-led innovation at the forefront. At CSAVR, I joined colleagues from NTID and Gallaudet to highlight our institutions’ distinctive strengths in supporting deaf and hard-of-hearing students throughout their education and into successful careers.

Thank you to everyone who shared feedback on the NTID Strategic Journey. The surveys closed on October 30, and our pillar committees will now review and incorporate your input as they revise the Strategic Actions. Your thoughtful contributions are helping shape the priorities that will guide NTID’s future.

I also want to share an update on RIT’s Building Operational Excellence initiative. Bain & Company is now meeting with different groups across the university. NTID is not within the scope of this review; however, administrative functions across RIT are being examined, and any resulting changes could have an indirect impact on our college. I will keep you informed about developments that may affect our community.

Thank you for all you do each day to support our students and advance NTID’s mission. Your dedication and care make this community special, and I look forward to building on October’s momentum together.