News by Topic: Diversity

RIT is open to all people regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, religion, nationality, ability, and culture, and actively supports the inclusion of all communities. Through accessible technologies and academic programs, research on social issues, and celebrations of individuals from all backgrounds, RIT hopes to be the model for a brighter future for all people.

  • February 25, 2020

    two men talking in lab.

    RIT alumnus at NASA named Black Engineer of the Year for 2020

    Clayton Turner ’90 (electrical engineering), director of NASA Langley Research Center, received the Black Engineer of the Year (BEYA) STEM Award for his outstanding career developing and furthering some of NASA’s most significant space mission initiatives.

  • February 14, 2020

    Konce Quispe.

    Co-op stories: Facebook

    Konce Quispe, from Queens, N.Y., says her dream is to “connect the world and give all people equal access to technology.” Doing a co-op at Facebook, a company built with the intention of connecting people, was the perfect opportunity for her.

  • February 14, 2020

    student posing with art work in the background.

    Scholarship makes grad school possible

    The Mark and Maureen Davitt Graduate Education Endowed Scholarship was established with a $500,000 gift to RIT by Mark and Maureen Davitt to help graduates from the Rochester City School District pursue advanced degrees.

  • February 14, 2020

    researcher Peter Hauser.

    Studying the role of cultural and linguistic diversity

    Peter Hauser has spent the past two decades studying how deaf people develop, learn, grow and live. Today, he is at the helm of a new project—a research-based incubator—where junior faculty at NTID can work together to understand the role of cultural and linguistic diversity in deaf people’s lives.

  • February 11, 2020

    two people standing outside the planetarium.

    RIT international students waiting for a friendship volunteer

    Faculty and staff members at RIT are encouraged to volunteer with Rochester Global Connections, which pairs community members with international students to help them feel more welcome. There are 30 RIT international students currently in the program, but another seven are waiting for a pairing.

  • February 5, 2020

    elementary school children watching demo of drill press.

    Pioneers of Progress: RIT celebrates National Engineers Week

    RIT is one of hundreds of universities and organizations across the country involved in National Engineers Week, taking place Feb. 16-22. Events include talks with engineering alumni and open house sessions for K-12 students and families.

  • February 5, 2020

    'North by Nuuk' book cover, featuring two yellow boxs on wooden sled on a sheet of ice.

    RIT photography professor documents Greenland’s changing landscape

    Contemporary Greenland is the subject of a new collection of photographs and essays by RIT photography professor Denis Defibaugh, who spent more than a year on the island. North by Nuuk: Greenland after Rockwell Kent, published by RIT Press, documents scenes from daily life and from nature, such as an Inuit hunter and his sled dogs, stark landscapes and portraits of the people who live in remote communities.

  • February 2, 2020

    woman using American Sign Language.

    New program addresses need and training for interpreters of color

    A report from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf states that of the more than 10,000 sign-language interpreters that are registered nationally, a mere 13 percent identify as persons of color. Acknowledging this gap, a team at NTID has created a program that aims to equip interpreters of color to meet the demands of interpreting in a postsecondary environment, while boosting recruitment and retention efforts for interpreters of color.