News
David Munson

RIT students will have a chance to show their talents and compete for cash prizes during Ovation: RIT Performing Arts Showcase from 6 to 8 p.m. Feb. 3 in Ingle Auditorium in the Student Alumni Union

More students involved in performing arts are currently enrolled at RIT than ever before. This year’s class includes a record 482 new students who received Performing Arts Scholarships.

Dining options at RIT are growing, with the introduction of a sandwich that has gotten a presidential seal of approval. Yes, you can still get a burger, Philly cheese steak, or a club sandwich. But starting Monday, you’ll also be able to order up a Munson.

The Vignelli Center for Design Studies has appointed RZLBD (Reza Aliabadi) as the inaugural Vignelli Center Designer in Residence. This position was created to assist with an upcoming campus project to design and build a series of outdoor interactive exhibits tentatively titled the RIT Museumscape.

Ellen Granberg is stepping down as provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at RIT. Granberg, RIT’s provost since 2018, will become president of the George Washington University, and the first woman to serve in this role at GW, when she begins her tenure July 1.

RIT will receive $2 million from the U.S. Department of Commerce to update and expand its Semiconductor Fabrication Lab to accommodate research in semiconductor technologies and prepare the workforce for the growing domestic microelectronics manufacturing industry. The funding was included as part of the fiscal year 2023 omnibus funding package.

A new partnership between RIT and Griffiss Institute aims to expand access to high-quality educational training, research, and entrepreneurial opportunities in Upstate New York.

A comprehensive master planning process for the RIT campus that began in 2020 has resulted in a long-term, conceptual layout that will guide future growth and development across the university’s 1,300 acres over the next 25 to 50 years. The steering committee is now inviting final comments to the campus master plan during a review period that runs through Dec. 23, 2022.

The RIT and Saunders College of Business communities are invited early next week to sign the steel beam that will support the 36,000-square-foot expansion and renovation of Lowenthal Hall.

Members of the RIT Board of Trustees and President Munson recently took a walking tour of the Student Hall for Exploration and Development (SHED). The $120 million complex stretches from Wallace Library to Monroe Hall and will include the Brooks H. Bower Maker Showcase, the Sklarsky Glass Box Theater, and music and dance studios. The SHED’s focus on hands-on learning extends to the 27 new classrooms—five extra-large learning spaces designed for active learning and 22 regular-sized flexible classrooms in the renovated Wallace Library. 

WITR-FM (89.7) will host RIT President David Munson at 3 p.m. Wednesday, continuing the “Ask Munson” series that is held throughout the academic year.

RIT is holding its 11th annual Veterans Day Breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 11, in the Gordon Field House. It is free and open to the community.