News

RIT will confer a record 69 Ph.D. degrees during commencement May 12, marking a 53 percent increase from last year.

For decades, deaf and hard-of-hearing students attending RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf have been earning associate, bachelor’s, and master’s degrees. This year, the first three NTID-supported students are on track to earn their doctoral degrees from RIT.

Elle Holland discovered her dream job as a genetic counselor while still in high school, and she came to RIT to become a scientist as the first step toward her career goal. She is one of several 2023 graduates finding careers in health care.

Tiffany Brodner was named RIT’s inaugural executive director of the Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED), following a national search. She assumed her new position in April. She will work closely with Michael Buffalin IV, who was appointed director of RIT’s makerspace within the SHED.

The Army Educational Outreach Program Apprenticeships and Fellowships team from Rochester Institute of Technology is aiming to enhance its portfolio of resources for participants that may provide a pathway and sense of belonging in STEM. One of the ideas is to create a variety of interactive and original online learning modules, with a focus to support students along their journeys in science, technology, engineering and math, by offering guidance through these platforms with exposure to various insights in and out of the lab – and with constant support from RIT K-12 staff on all levels.

The tech employment landscape is changing, and RIT graduates are taking their skills to a variety of organizations—to support accessibility for health and wellness companies, to provide coding for data center equipment, and to develop software for sophisticated HVAC systems—and more.

RIT’s College of Liberal Arts partners with Syracuse University’s College of Law to offer an accelerated 3+3 law program. Students complete both a bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor degree in six years as opposed to the traditional seven-year timeline.

When it comes to child safety, professionals in the industry work together in a common goal to prevent child abuse by educating adults on how to recognize, prevent and react appropriately if they see or suspect it. That’s one of the reasons why RIT’s director for the Office of Youth Protection and Compliance actively works with her counterparts from across the country using resources, such as the Higher Education Protection Network, or HEPNet, to bring best practices to the university.

No sooner than when Cara Mulvaney was hired as Rochester Institute of Technology’s first director of the Office of Youth Protection and Compliance, the COVID-19 pandemic forced school closures, and the cancelation of all campus activities and events. She was offered the job the week before, and used time afterward to tirelessly research, and write policy and guidance for RIT through her office that is integral in creating awareness and promoting youth safety on campus and in the community.

A career in community health inspired Maricela Marquez ’18, ’22 MS to grow in her profession as an advocate for Latino patients. For Marquez, this meant advancing her career at Rochester Regional Health by enrolling in RIT’s health systems management Master of Science program.

They didn’t know it then, but RIT students taking Debra Meiburg’s wine courses back in the late 1990s were learning from a bona fide master—literally.

When people ask what he does for a living, Lance Neirby ’05 MFA (metals and jewelry) just says he leads an incredible team of people. Maintaining a strong, positive team environment has been a priority for him as the new president and CEO of Montana Silversmiths.