RIT Dean Among Finalists for 23rd Annual Athena Award

Joan Stone, dean of RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences, is one of the finalists for the 23^rd annual Athena Award. The award honors a local professional woman who has demonstrated significant achievements in business, community service and the professional advancement of women.

The Women’s Council of the Rochester Business Alliance presents the award, and this year’s recipient will be announced during a luncheon at the Riverside Convention Center on Jan. 22.

Stone oversees nearly 2,200 full-time students enrolled in the college. It’s comprised of the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences, School of Print Media, School of Art, School of Design, School of Film and Animation and School for American Crafts.

Stone was appointed dean of the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences in 1999 after serving as interim dean for two years.

Former RIT Provost Stan McKenzie, to whom Joan reported until his retirement in June, says, “Joan has proven to be a fierce advocate for the arts at RIT, an institution known primarily for its technological prowess, and under her leadership the imaging arts—ranging from filmmaking to metal craft—have gained or sustained national reputations. This advocacy is simultaneously tempered by a strong respect for human dignity.”

Over the course of her tenure as dean, the national recognition of the college’s programs has advanced significantly. RIT is among the top colleges and universities in the nation for programs in the fine arts, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2009 edition of America’s Best Graduate Schools. RIT’s rankings among fine arts specialties include: glass art, tied for 2nd; photography, tied for 3rd; industrial design, tied for 8th, Multimedia/visual communications tied for 10th; and graphic design, tied for 12th.

Past recipients of the Athena Award include Dr. Ruth Lawrence, professor of pediatrics, medical director of the Ruth A. Lawrence Poison & Drug Information Center, University of Rochester Medical Center; and Patricia Malgieri, deputy mayor of the City of Rochester.