M/E Engineering President Al Casey Receives RIT’s Top Alumnus Award

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Ken Huth

President Bill Destler, left, congratulates Al Casey ’73, recipient of RIT's 2009 Outstanding Alumnus Award.

RIT is honoring Al Casey, a 1973 graduate of the Kate Gleason College of Engineering, as 2009 Outstanding Alumnus.

The award, established by the Office of the President in 1952, is the highest honor the institute can bestow upon an alumnus/a. The award recognizes graduates who have served RIT through their dedication, loyalty and leadership.

A Rochester native, Casey attended Rochester City Schools and graduated from Edison Tech before entering RIT in 1968. In 1991, Casey and RIT grads Ron Mead and Bill Liberto, and University of Rochester alumnus Joe Straub started M/E Engineering P.C. The firm has grown to more than 180 employees with offices in Rochester, Buffalo, Syracuse and Albany. M/E Engineering was recently included in the Rochester Top 100 List for the 10th time.

In 1998, the company, which currently employs 40 RIT alumni, founded the M/E Engineering Scholarship at RIT. Rochester City School District graduates are given preference for this scholarship, which will now dovetail with RIT’s recently announced initiative to provide scholarships for RCSD students.

Casey and his wife, Diane, reside in the City of Rochester, only one-quarter mile from where he grew up and played Little League baseball at Cobbs Hill Park.

“I can’t stress enough the importance of giving back and making every attempt to help RIT co-ops and grads with guidance and career opportunities,” Casey noted in accepting the Outstanding Alumni Award. “While these things may not seem very ‘innovative,’ they are what makes RIT a truly ‘sustainable’ institution.”

RIT President Bill Destler calls Casey “the epitome of an Outstanding Alumnus—one who has seamlessly integrated his appreciation for his education, respect for his alma mater, financial support of students and commitment to his community into his daily life.”