Institute Council Update

At the February 14 Institute Council meeting RIT’s budget for next year was broken down, the 10 year strategic plan was looked over, the 2015-16 school year calendar was evaluated and approved and progress of a new online class system was evaluated.

2014-2015 Budget

James Watter, Senior Vice President of Finance and Administration, presented next year’s budget for the Institute. The numbers he presented are researched projections, but the number of incoming students is necessary for a more concrete estimate because that information could increase or decrease the budget. Currently, it is projected that tuition will increase by approximately 3.9 percent for new students. Watter explained that this is still lower than most peer institutions. The final version of the budget will be created in September.

Calendar Revision

Joe Loffredo, Assistant Vice President and Registrar, presented a revised calendar for the 2015-16 school year. The revision made it so that finals week begins on a Monday rather than a Friday. It was voted on and approved.

RIT Online

RIT online will be a new system designed specifically for online classes. It has a projected launch for September of this year and targets graduate students and part-time students. It will have more a “quarter” like feel with eight week long classes.  The goal is to give out certificates that can be accumulated and turned into a degree as well as working toward a traditional degree. Classes will be designed by RIT professors.

Strategic plan for 2025

The strategic plan for the next ten years has six identified goals: student success, global engagement/international education, research/graduate education, curricular innovation/creativity, diversity and organizational agility. The school’s mission statement and vision will also be updated to fit the plan. The final version is expected to be approved by early 2015.