Greatness Through Difference 2018-2025

A casual reader of the history of Rochester Institute of Technology could be forgiven for posing the question “How did a small evening school offering a single class in 1885 become one of the country’s largest and most leading-edge private universities, with multiple Ph.D. programs, five international campuses, and 19,000 students of whom almost 1200 are deaf and hard-of-hearing?” A close look at RIT’s early history reveals that the origins of this apparent sea change in mission were actually contained within the institutional character of the 19th-century Mechanics Institute, and that they serve as the perfect introduction of the new strategic plan before you.

an aerial view of RIT with the text Greatness Through Difference The RIT Strategic Plan 2018-2025

The RIT Strategic Plan Summary

View PDF  

Impact of Greatness through Difference

RIT’s unique institutional character and its special people, programs, places, and partnerships have propelled us to achieve the ambitious goals set forth in “Greatness through Difference 2018-2025”.

  • Number of student applications has risen much faster than the national average, based on a growing RIT brand centered on creativity, innovation, and learning outside of the classroom.
  • Selectivity has improved with admit rate dropping from 77% to 67%, allowing us to recruit a student body with significantly increased academic qualifications and greater diversity.
  • On-time graduation rate has increased from 47% to 56% (6-year graduation rate is 74%), while the gap between AALANA (African American, Latino, and Native American) and non-AALANA students has narrowed.
  • Job placement rate for graduates remains high at 96%.
  • Enrollment at overseas campuses has grown by nearly 50%.
  • Have added exceptional new talent to our increasingly diverse faculty and staff.

  • RIT has broadened undergraduate experiential learning beyond co-op to increasingly include research, international experiences, entrepreneurship, and student project design teams.
  • Established Combined Accelerated Bachelors-Masters program with an enrollment of more than 2,300 high-achieving students.
  • Established the Performing Arts Scholars Program, making RIT the school of choice for performing arts for approximately 2,000 non-majors. 
  • Created Art Experience (ArtEx), offering studio arts for non-majors, attracting and retaining additional multitalented students.
  • Elevating varsity athletics and Esports with a focus on winning culture, coach development, facilities, and enhanced resources, including scholarships for Division I hockey.
  • Seven new PhD programs added; number of PhD graduates doubled to 70 per year.
  • Annual research awards increased from $62M to $103M, across all colleges, including interdisciplinary projects in science, computing, engineering, and healthcare. Approximately 50 current projects are funded at a level of over $1M each.
  • Number of faculty members engaged in global research and scholarship has nearly quintupled from 24 to 118.

  • Newly constructed RIT-Dubai campus.
  • Completed signature building on Henrietta campus -- the Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED), a 120,000 square-foot facility with makerspaces, performing arts facilities, and active-learning classrooms.
  • Completed MAGIC Spell Studios, Cybersecurity Hall, Saunders College addition, new athletic fields.
  • Reimagined and renovated Wallace Library, converted Brown Hall into research laboratories, renovated Grace Watson dining hall, and renovated spaces within NTID to support dance and theater.
  • Construction under way on the first theater in our performing arts center, a new research building, a stadium, and major residence hall renovations.
  • Completed the Campus Plan, providing a 50-year framework for densification of the central core, including siting of new buildings and addition of on-campus residential capacity, and preservation and extension of natural areas.

  • National: REMADE Institute (approximately 150 university and industry partners working on the circular economy), New Energy New York, Micron UPWARDS consortium, New York Climate Exchange (Governor’s Island, NYC), NTID Regional STEM centers.
  • State: RIT leads the NY state funded Pollution Prevention Institute, the Center for Additive Manufacturing and Multifunctional Printing, the Center of Excellence in Advanced and Sustainable Manufacturing, Digital Games Hub, and NY-BEST Battery Development Center. Major research partnerships have been established with University of Rochester (quantum science, photonics) and Binghamton University. (batteries).
  • Regional: RIT is the key university player in economic development in the Finger Lakes Region, helping to attract high-tech industry and spinning out start-up companies, providing superb opportunities for our students. In downtown Rochester, we opened RIT City Art Space in the Sibley Building and co-located both Venture Creations and RIT K-12 with the Center for Urban Entrepreneurship at the RIT Downtown Center, 40 Franklin Street. We also partner with many local arts organizations, including Garth Fagan Dance and the RPO, further integrating with the City. Total RIT economic impact in our region is $800M.
  • RRH: Our partnership with Rochester Regional Health has been completely revitalized, positioning our College of Health Sciences and Technology for dramatic growth in degree programs and number of students as this sector of the economy continues to expand.