Q: What are your priorities for your first year as president?
Obviously I need to keep learning, so once the students come back, I’m going to be setting up meetings with students. I’m going to be visiting all the colleges, meeting the faculty and staff that will be back to understand the unique culture here. This year is a big year, because it’s the year in which we’ll complete the new strategic plan for RIT and then the strategic plan will be vetted, we will continue to take input and get feedback in the fall. And then we’ll complete the strategic plan, in the spring, and there’ll certainly be initiatives related to education and research, scholarly work and creativity initiatives related to the well-being of everyone on campus and initiatives related to our global nature. I think it’s very important that we take advantage of and celebrate the fact that we’re a global institution, with campuses in addition to Rochester. So it’s going to be really exciting to me to strategically plan for the future. We also will, specifically related to students, expand and continue to develop our programs to help students thrive at RIT. There were a set of first-year experiences that were piloted last year for incoming students, and we’re going to assess how those worked and build upon those. We’re going to be looking at how to build further experiences for second year students, third year students, fourth and fifth year students as well, and the goal really is to provide the resources for every student to succeed at RIT. I One of my messages to new first year students is that if we admitted you to RIT, we know you can be successful at RIT, and we want to give you all the resources to be successful.
Q: What should incoming first years who may be here for 4-5 years expect by the end of their college experience?
I think the overall experience for students here can be very varied, but should be very positive for each student. Our goal is to create a set of opportunities so students can chart their own course, but be happy and successful in that. My goal is to have every student that comes here graduate. And graduate in a way that they not only get a job, but thrive in that job and eventually become a leader and in doing so, make a positive impact on our society. So there’s a lot of choice here. I encourage people to look around, figure out what kind of experiences they want to build. We’re a very strong place that combines technology, the arts and design, but exactly how you combine those things is very personal, and I think that’s what makes RIT such a special place.
Q: Are there any challenges that you foresee yourself facing or have faced so far as president?
Obviously there will be challenges, right? Some of the immediate challenges are looking at how to both balance and grow our budget right with some of the reductions in support for aid for students. It could make it difficult for some students to afford to come here, and our goal really is to have every student that we admit be able to afford to come here. So one of the things I’m focusing on is how to continue to support students. Other challenges are related to potential reduction in research funding nationally and just as we’re very much growing and coming into our own as a student-centered research university, we have to make sure that we can maintain that momentum. Every day, we’re looking at what’s going on in Washington, we’re talking to our government leaders and we’re making sure that we act strategically so that despite general trends that might be occurring, RIT can still be successful in supporting students and successful in maintaining and growing the research enterprise.
Q: What role do you believe students can or should play in the university’s future?
Students are the university’s future. The fact is that collectively, the students, the staff and the faculty, by creating a very strong community, a community that fosters the success of all of us, creates a self-perpetuating culture, right? Students do well, students enjoy their time, students are successful, and then students, because of that, will encourage more students to come here and the university to grow. What’s fantastic here is that we have space and so, as word gets out about RIT as a jewel, not just of New York, but a jewel of the nation, a jewel of the world. I think our ranks are going to grow. Our applications were significantly up this year, and that’s due in part to the work our enrollment division and our marketing and communications division have been doing, which I think is excellent, but I think it’s really in part to the experience that students have, and then by word of mouth they tell more people. I think one thing students can do is really embrace the community and become part of that community. I think another thing students should do is, take responsibility for each other. That’s something unique I’ve noticed during my visits. Students are very accepting and welcoming toward one another and that’s really the basis of our society here.
Q: What do you make of the student culture at RIT so far?
I haven’t really been here during many of the big student times yet, but I came to Imagine RIT, last year, and that was special and wonderful. From the discussions I’ve had with students, you know, what I love about them is I’ve met so many different kinds of students, so many students that can find happiness and joy in however they approach life and are very comfortable interacting with people who might be different than them, but share that accepting and welcoming attitude. Students come from all over, and while the biggest group of students is still from New York, we have a growing number of students that come from different states, different countries, come from cities or rural areas, come from very different experiences, and for me, even 45 years ago when I was a first year student, the fact that I was able to experience and meet and learn from people that had very different backgrounds than I did was a wonderful thing. I hope the incoming students will embrace that and really become a part of that community and then find where they best fit in that.
Q: How do you plan to stay connected with students and campus life on a regular basis? Have you discovered any favorite spots on campus yet?
By being out on campus and being very visible, and by going for walks. I’ve walked across campus and met different people on those walks, by going down and as my schedule permits, just eating in the same places as students and by coming to events. I love the contrast of the very modern architecture of all the buildings and what now is the very green and welcoming spaces between the buildings. That together I think is really beautiful, as I mentioned, I’ve been meeting with a lot of people, and I typically meet in their offices, so I’m getting to know the campus quickly. And the fact that there are just so many different quads, there’s very nice art, there’s places to sit down, I would encourage students when they’re here to really spend time and enjoy it. We all know winter’s coming, so spend time outside and enjoy it now.
Q: What should the university community know about NTID’s new president (Dr. Caroline Solomon) and the decision to hire her?
Dr. Solomon is a very strong academic leader, a strong teacher and a strong researcher. She has large shoes to fill because our previous president, Gerald Buckley, has done so well. What I can tell you most about her is that she, like me, is very enthusiastic about learning when she comes here. And really, becoming part of this community that like Gallaudet is very strong in its service to Deaf and hard of hearing people, but also become part of the larger community here. I think the main difference between these two top institutions that serve the Deaf and hard of hearing is that by coming to RIT, she can be part of an even larger community and she tells me that’s very exciting to her.
Q: What advice can you offer for first-year students arriving at RIT?
I think it’s really important to embrace all the different opportunities you have. Don’t feel you have to do everything, go at your own pace, but make sure you reach out and try different things. This is a time in which you can decide what to be involved in, whether it be music or sports or any other kinds of clubs and activities on campus, so I encourage you to connect. I’d also encourage you to be very aware of different support services that are available for you, and not be afraid to make use of them. Connect to your professors, your professors are there to support and help you, go to office hours, I believe that the residential university experience is very valuable and that’s why I’m glad that the culture for that area is strong at RIT.
Q: Any closing thoughts for students and staff for orientation and the start of the school year?
Be curious, be inquisitive about the experience here, at your own pace, in your own way, go out and embrace what we have to offer, be kind to one another, we all have to be kind to one another, and I’m sure you’re going to thrive here.
