2022-23: An Academic Year in Review

Reflecting on all that our faculty, staff, and students have accomplished during this academic year leaves me feeling both honored to work with such a group of dedicated people and, honestly, a little tired. (Do you people sleep?)

Even in spite of challenges and changes, you kept going…and going… and going—envisioning new potential, developing curriculum and experiential learning options, supporting students, mentoring each other, researching and sharing knowledge, and performing with dedication and courage. 

From your individual and collective efforts, many initiatives, new programs, and advances were made possible this year. A visit to the College of Liberal Arts news page offers just a glimpse, and while there are many to be proud of and far too many to list, here are just a few that I’d like to note: 

Fresh curriculum and new academic programs

• A new double major pathway program has been developed in collaboration with the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, charting a plan for new students to earn a double major in cybersecurity and political science. 
   
• A new Cognitive Science Ph.D., jointly delivered by faculty experts from five RIT colleges, will begin accepting applications with the goal of enrolling its first cohort of students in 2024.  
   
• Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies will become a BS program beginning in August 2023. 
   
• The Department of Sociology and Anthropology has final approval on two new accelerated BS to MS programs:  Sustainability Systems BS/MS and BS/MS Hospitality Business Management.
   
• The Department of Modern Language and Cultures launched the French track of the Applied Modern Language and Culture degree.
   
• For the Criminal Justice MS program, a three-course elective track Spatial Data Analytics was developed in collaboration with the School of Interactive Games and Media.

People with a passion: 

• Ana Sophia Williams (Sociology and Anthropology BS) received a Fulbright Student Award and will begin the MA Program in Medical History and Humanities at University of York in the fall.
   
• In the Department of Modern Language and Cultures, faculty, students, and alumni won prestigious awards and fellowships including Premio Inclusione 3.0, Boren, and JET.
   
• Three economics majors received Outstanding Undergraduate Scholar Awards and economics alumnus Luiz Freitas was named CLA Distinguished Alumnus.
   
• Eight Department of Psychology undergraduates are participating in summer research fellowships this summer (including two Fulbright Scholarships) and seventeen student co-authors submitted or published papers this academic year.
   
• The Museum Studies program’s third-year students Emma Nastro and Sydney Arcuri are the first MUSE majors accepted into the Grand Challenges Scholars Program.
   
• Department of Philosophy Professor Evan Selinger published eight essays in The Boston Globe and Slate this academic year. Associate Professor Lawrence Torcello published an essay in The Conversation, and Professor Katie Terezakis received a John William Miller Fellowship award. 
   
• The Department of History is graduating its first cohort of stand-alone majors, and Associate Professor Rebecca Scales, Ph.D., was awarded a John William Miller Fellowship.  
   
• Assistant Professor Makini Beck, Ph.D., was the 2022-2023 recipient of the Division of Diversity and Inclusion (DDI) Faculty Beacon Award for her outstanding leadership, unwavering support and commitment to diversity and inclusion efforts at RIT.
    
• Seventeen students from colleges across campus were honored at the College of Liberal Arts 43rd annual student writing awards last month. Some of their work has been published now at RIT Scholar Works, a digital repository that showcases the work of our students, faculty, and staff. It is housed on the RIT Library website, and includes scholarship works of faculty and staff as well as graduate and undergraduate capstone projects, theses, dissertations, and more. Learn more about how to publish your work or support your students in publishing theirs »"

Experiences that open minds and create a learning community: 

• RIT’s School of Performing Arts earned a national spotlight in Inside Higher Ed, and the Performing Arts Scholars program hit a new high this year with a record 482 new students receiving Performing Arts Scholarships, bringing the total number of students who received the scholarships to 1,357 in the four years they have been awarded.
   
• School of Communication launched Technically Speaking, a student-run advertising and public relations advertising agency. Five students worked to brand the agency and the agency worked with its first client, RIT’s Marketing and Communication.
   
• The robust Criminal Justice Student Association group hosted interesting speakers, put out storyboards on CJ faculty, and had a strong presence on social media.
   
• Associate Professor of English Trent Hergenrader’s creative writing class traveled to Spain for a unique world-building experience. See story»

• Museum studies Students traveled to Princeton University to demo an RIT-developed, multispectral imaging system as part of an international conference. Bonus highlight: uncovering information about a single folio from a medieval manuscript.
   
• Our McKenzie Salon Series, led by Associate Professor Corinna Schlombs, Ph.D., presented discussions and guest speakers that engaged participants in discussion around some of today's most pressing issues; the College hosted an estimated 24 events; and many of our college departments hosted talks, guest lecturers, engagement activities, and more—designed to bring people together and build community. 

This list is far from comprehensive. As we close out this academic year, please take a moment to take stock of and celebrate your accomplishments. You should be proud!  I am so grateful to each of you for your contributions and commitment to the success of the College of Liberal Arts, and I wish you a summer to remember.