Irshad Altheimer honored with the inaugural Ellen M. Granberg endowed professorship

Irshad Altheimer has made a significant impact on both the RIT and greater Rochester communities during his 12 years teaching at the university. On Thursday, Oct. 10, Altheimer’s efforts were recognized through naming him as the inaugural Ellen M. Granberg Endowed Professor for Multidisciplinary Studies.

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Traci Westcott/RIT

The professorship was established in honor of Ellen Granberg, former provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at RIT. From left: Irshad Altheimer and Ellen Granberg.

The new endowed professorship is in honor of Ellen Granberg, former provost and senior vice president for Academic Affairs at RIT and current president of George Washington University. The endowment was crafted to support teaching and research excellence, with a special focus on multidisciplinary work that is both meaningful to, and engaged with, the local community.

“There are so many talented people at RIT doing amazing things, so it’s very exciting for the work that I have been doing with my team over the last decade to be recognized,” said Altheimer.  

During his time at RIT, Altheimer has worked closely with his colleagues in the Department of Criminal Justice and community stakeholders, including the Rochester Police Department and Monroe County Probation, to implement and evaluate projects aimed at reducing violence and improving the administration of justice. He has secured more than $10 million in external funding, including an award from the National Institute of Justice’s W.E.B. Du Bois Fellowship, and has published work in leading academic journals. Before coming to RIT, he served as assistant professor of criminal justice at Wayne State University.

Altheimer said that a highlight of his career has been serving as director of the Center for Public Safety Initiatives (CPSI), a position he’s held since 2018. Maintaining and diversifying partnerships, supporting faculty research and advancement, as well as seeing students develop and grow as professionals by actively contributing to research projects keeps him motivated and engaged with his work.

“With the support granted through the endowed professorship, we hope to highlight and extend some of the work that we’ve completed over the last several years. It also gives us an opportunity to think about how we can take some of the insights from our projects and incorporate them into a classroom setting to give RIT students a really unique set of experiences,” said Altheimer.

Endowed professorships play a crucial role in advancing academic excellence. They provide faculty members with the resources and support needed to continue their pioneering research, enhance their teaching, and inspire students.

“Irshad has made substantial contributions to the field of criminal justice through his research and community partnerships, and he is deeply committed to teaching and mentoring students, particularly those engaged in research within CPSI,” said Kelly Norris Martin, interim dean of the College of Liberal Arts. “This honor is certainly well deserved and reflects Irshad’s hard work and dedication to his research, his students, and his field of study.”

The endowed professorship was made possible through support from Joyce Pratt and her partner Jeff Harris ’75 (photographic sciences). Pratt has been instrumental in this endeavor, both through her philanthropic support as well as in her role as the chair of the College of Liberal Arts National Council. Harris is the current chair of the RIT Board of Trustees. Pratt and Harris previously established the J.K. Harris Scholarship, as well as two endowed professorships in the College of Science: the Gerald W. Harris Professorship and Jane King Harris Professorship

“Establishing the Ellen M. Granberg Endowed Professorship for Multidisciplinary Studies is the culmination of my 60-year quest to open the doors wide so students can explore and experiment, pursue additional interests, and gain practical skills as they enter the workforce,” said Pratt. “Ellen understands the importance of creating an environment that fosters collaboration and fuels innovation. She has helped me frame my thinking and my understanding of the possibilities at RIT, and from this came the idea to establish an endowed professorship in her name to focus on multidisciplinary issues.” 

Granberg, the namesake of the professorship, is an accomplished academic leader who has a record of strengthening teaching and research excellence across disciplines and driving transformative institutional change. During her time at RIT, she oversaw key initiatives, including increasing undergraduate student success, expanding doctoral education, improving facilities for instruction and research, and leveraging RIT’s strengths in innovation, creativity, and cross-disciplinary collaboration to advance the university's academic mission.

“I’m deeply honored that Joyce Pratt generously gave this endowed professorship in my name. This professorship embodies our shared belief in the importance of interdisciplinary work to drive innovation, push boundaries, and shape the future,” said Granberg. “I can think of no one more fitting to hold this position than Irshad Altheimer. His transformative work in criminal justice exemplifies what happens when we bridge disciplines to address real-world challenges.”

Altheimer said that this funding will help support the development of several faculty-led, interdisciplinary lab spaces that seek to address societal challenges with local implications, including a racial justice lab and a community-based violence prevention lab, among others. Additionally, he aims to create more opportunities for students in the criminal justice department and at CPSI to engage with externally funded research projects. In the long term, he hopes to integrate CPSI research and data into the classroom experience.

For more information about Altheimer’s work, go to the Center for Public Safety Initiatives webpage.