On Sept. 10, RIT President William Sanders delivered his first State of the University speech, addressing a vast crowd of students, faculty and community members in Ingle Auditorium. Sanders, along with other university leaders, laid out plans for the current academic year and beyond.
Sanders, RIT’s 11th president, was the event’s final speaker, beginning by welcoming new faculty members and relaying their collective accomplishments and experience. He provided a host of information regarding research endeavors, including a record with $105 million in new sponsored research awards during the 2024-2025 fiscal year. In particular, a variety of new research projects and partnerships, such as New York State’s Empire AI consortium and the Upstate New York Energy Storage Engine, accounted for a large portion of the funding.
Sanders acknowledged concerns for the year related to federal research funding and international students’ status, remaining hopeful that RIT can adapt to such trials. With a drop of 208 international students for the Rochester campus due to visa delays and federal policies, he emphasized administration’s creativity in finding options and solutions for students in waiting. 14 students have studied at the Dubai campus while awaiting their visa approval, aiming to eventually study at the Rochester campus. RIT Dubai’s “second phase” is set to be complete in 2027, with with the aim of doubling student enrollment for the campus to 4,000.
Current construction projects on Tiger Stadium and the new performing arts theater are slated to be complete in January at the start of the spring semester. The stadium, a large-scale renovation of the existing lacrosse and soccer field, received an official update to its name for the occasion, now the Thomas Fearey Judson Jr. Stadium after the Pike and Judson families for their longtime service and financial commitments to RIT.
In closing, Sanders revealed preliminary framework for the upcoming strategic plan. He cited four pillars, “transformative student experiences and success, world changing research and scholarship, community wellbeing and belonging and a global reach and mindset,” as the core values for the new plan. He stressed the importance of students making their voices heard on issues and relayed his hopes for his presidential tenure.
“Our university community is on to something that is truly exceptional. I want to make sure RIT continues to be a place where all can explore boldly, fail safely and succeed spectacularly,” said Sanders.
Prabu David, provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs; Richard Zanibbi, chair of Faculty Senate; Jeremy Zehr, vice chair of Staff Council; Rafael Gilboa, president of Student Government; and Keith Jenkins, vice president and associate provost for Access, Engagement, and Success, also provided initial remarks.
Gilboa, in particular, advocated for the importance of students working together with each other and administration on their ideas. He cited recent developments, such as the re-opening of The Commons, as evidence of the impact students can provide.
“We’ve continued to work to build Student Government into a place where all ideas are welcomed, all RIT community members are welcomed and where complaints and confusion are met with empathy and with action,” stated Gilboa.
After the event, Gilboa explained that the speech was an opportunity for him to encourage administration to work with students on a variety of issues. He compared the governance from a student perspective to that of administrators, emphasizing the rapidity of student issues in contrast to large-scale and long-term plans.
“Knowing that we had a shorter timeline, I want to hear from other people who have these great ideas. We’re just looking for people to work with us, and they seem really excited too. We’re not going to let off and we’re going to keep pushing for those ideas,” Gilboa explained.
Sanders will be inaugurated as RIT’s president on Sept. 26 at 2 p.m. during a ceremony in Gordon Field House, officially establishing a new era of university leadership.
