News by Topic: Gifts

Computing researchers at RITare teaming up with Fortune 500 company JLL to explore augmented reality within the commercial real estate and property management space.

Transforming RIT: The Campaign for Greatness, the largest fundraising effort in the university’s history, has reached a milestone. The $1 billion campaign has surpassed the $750 million mark.

RIT’s Tiger Spirit will soon be felt—and seen—on campus with the addition of a branded version of the year’s most essential accessory. About 25,000, three-ply cloth face coverings, emblazoned with the RIT logo and a roaring tiger image, will be delivered to all members of the RIT community starting the week of Feb. 1.

RIT’s behavioral health program is expanding in new directions with a clinic on campus and federal funding to deliver addiction treatment in rural communities in upstate New York and New Hampshire.

A transformational gift from serial entrepreneur and philanthropist E. Philip Saunders will help fund a major renovation and expansion to Max Lowenthal Hall, home of RIT’s Saunders College of Business.

Phil Castleberry, a 20-year veteran of higher education advancement, began at RIT last February as the vice president for Development and Alumni Relations, now called the Division of University Advancement. Here are his thoughts on philanthropy and engagement at RIT.

Scientists began conducting research at the Tait Preserve of RIT for the first time this summer. Researchers from the Digital Imaging and Remote Sensing Laboratory were the first to use the site, collecting data using imaging technology flown on unmanned aerial systems, or drones.

Design work on the multipurpose Innovative Maker and Learning Complex continued after the COVID-19 pandemic closed the campus in March. The current plan is for work on the foundation to start in spring 2021, and the building to open in fall 2023.

The citizen science nonprofit Delta Environmental is establishing a new endowment at RIT to create an environmental education program at the Tait Preserve of RIT.

Debbie Stendardi, who retires as vice president of Government and Community Relations at the end of the year, leaves an indelible mark on both RIT and the Greater Rochester region—both of which she has advanced considerably through her advocacy efforts for more than four decades. In a far-ranging interview, the unassuming Stendardi reflected on her longtime career and widespread impact.

RIT's Cary Graphic Arts Collection has received a donation of books and printing equipment from the estate of a noted historian of typography and early printing technologies. Stephen Saxe was an expert on American type foundries from the 19th century and a founding member of the American Printing History Association.

The Rochester Beacon features Trustee Bruce Bates, who recently received RIT's Lifetime Achievement in Philanthropy Award.