Pillar: Global Reach and Mindset
Leverage and enhance RIT’s role as a globally engaged organization, creating a cohesive and interconnected university with a deep commitment to cross-cultural understanding, engagement, and community prosperity.
RIT will increase our presence on the world stage, leveraging our global locations in Dubai, Croatia, and Kosovo as gateways for global engagement and research. We will empower our students to explore their disciplines through a global lens, understanding the worldwide implications of their field and the broader significance of their work. Our commitment extends beyond the classroom—including transformative experiences and collaborative research partnerships that bridge geographic divides, enrich learning, and foster cross-cultural understanding.
Global engagement is most effective when built on a foundation of meaningful local connection. We will emphasize reciprocity and connection with the communities where we operate—locally in Rochester and in each of the communities of our global locations. By deepening these relationships, we will create opportunities for collaboration, shared prosperity, and meaningful engagement that benefit both RIT and the communities we serve.
Through these efforts, RIT will prepare graduates who are not only career-ready but globally minded leaders, and we will position our research enterprise as a force for meaningful change across the globe.
Strategic Action:
Deliver a Globally Informed and Engaged Education
Integrate global perspectives and engagement opportunities into curricular and co-curricular experiences, fostering cross-cultural understanding and preparing students to lead, engage, and drive inclusive prosperity in an inter-connected world.
RIT will strive to have every student graduate with a globally informed perspective—prepared to lead, collaborate, and innovate in an interconnected world. We will integrate international and intercultural dimensions into curricular and co-curricular experiences, cultivating globally conscious graduates who understand the worldwide implications of their disciplines and the impact of their work on society.
Strategic Action:
Create a Globally Connected Research Ecosystem
Develop a globally integrated research ecosystem that leverages the distinct strengths of each RIT campus and community. Promote cross-location collaboration on regionally relevant and globally significant challenges that align with institutional strengths and priorities.
RIT will develop a global research ecosystem that will enable faculty and students to collaborate on pressing global challenges while leveraging local contexts. By building pathways and reducing barriers to engagement, we will make it easier for researchers to pursue projects with global partners. Through these efforts, RIT will elevate its reputation as a globally engaged research institution, producing discoveries that matter locally and resonate worldwide.
Strategic Action:
Enhance the Student Experience Through Global Engagements
Provide students with learning and research experiences around the world by strengthening and scaling partnerships with industry and government. Tailor opportunities to the strengths of each location, ensuring relevance to local economies and alignment with RIT’s academic and research goals.
RIT will expand opportunities for students to learn, work, and conduct research beyond their home campus—whether through study abroad, international co-ops and internships, or immersive experiences in strategic urban hubs. Global engagement extends well beyond international travel, enriching students through exposure to diverse perspectives and industries across the world.
Strategic Action:
Deepen Community Connections
Advance RIT’s role as a collaborative, community-engaged university by fostering reciprocal relationships between campuses and their surrounding communities. Co-create initiatives that promote shared social and economic progress in all places that we operate, with a bold and enduring commitment to Rochester as our founding home.
RIT’s history and evolution are deeply connected to the communities we serve, with programs and campuses often emerging in response to community needs. This connection has been central to our growth and success, and we will continue to strengthen it—locally in Rochester and at each of our global campuses—by working with community leaders to advance shared social and economic goals. Using a community-engaged approach to scholarship, we will collaborate with partners to design and implement projects that support their priorities. Additionally, we will enhance physical access and connectivity between our campus and the surrounding communities. Through these efforts, we will build strong, lasting relationships that benefit both RIT and the communities we call home.
Students Use AI to Aid United Nations in Ukrainian Refugee Response
Students in RIT’s unique humanities, computing, and design major are developing an AI‑driven tool to help the United Nations identify and respond to the urgent needs of Ukrainian refugees in Poland. Their work illustrates the creative ways students are applying emerging tools to real human challenges.
Connecting Rochester to a Rainforest
RIT researchers and partners at Seneca Park Zoo in Rochester, N.Y., have developed a virtual reality gaming environment that will allow zoogoers to experience a Madagascar rainforest ecosystem. They recently journeyed to the Centre ValBio field station in Ranomafana National Park on a trip that laid the groundwork for creating accurate 3D models of the exotic wildlife and habitats of Madagascar.
Coast-to-Coast and Beyond: RIT’s LA Experience Prepares Students for Global Success
From tech labs to studio backlots, RIT in LA transforms the industry into a multidisciplinary classroom, guided by professors who are industry veterans. Animators, engineers, business majors, and more gain real-world insights through networking and internships. This transmedia world ensures all Tigers find their professional spotlight, proving that modern entertainment needs RIT’s unique approach.
RIT Dubai Flourishes as a Hub for Global Collaboration and Thought Leadership
RIT Dubai is a global hub for innovation and education in one of the world’s most dynamic cities. The campus is expanding its reach through strategic collaborations and industry partnerships, creating an open ecosystem that connects students, faculty, and global enterprises. RIT Dubai blends academic excellence with real-world impact to prepare students for careers in an interconnected world while fostering cross-cultural exchange and driving cutting-edge research.