College Alumni Programs

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Professor Neil Hair of the Saunders College of Business with former students Michelle Girard ’08, Jason Cicchelli ’01 and Ben Harris ’07 in New York City. Hair spoke about personal branding at an alumni gathering earlier this year.

New director for CAST alumni

The new academic year brought several new faces to the College of Applied Science and Technology, including Katie Coyne, director of Alumni Relations.

With experience in marketing at organizations as diverse as Key Bank and Heluva Good Cheese, Katie has immersed herself in the culture of CAST. If you didn’t meet her at one of the recent receptions hosted at industry expos or at the many Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend activities, be sure to introduce yourself soon. Katie can be contacted at kxcdar@rit.edu.

CIAS summer photo workshops a hit

After a 21-year hiatus, summer photo workshops were held on the RIT campus again. From video storytelling to digital workflow, the summer photo workshops provided creative and technical opportunities for all levels of photographers.

One of the workshops, led by Professor William Snyder ’81, gave 12 students ages 14 to 19 the opportunity to understand the life of a photojournalist. With instruction from Professor Emeritus Gunther Cartwright and Frank Cost ’86 among others, the students learned about digital photography and produced an 80-page book of photos to show off their skills.

We are already organizing next summer’s offerings. Let us know what you would like to see included by sending an e-mail to mtmpph@rit.edu.

CMS Student Alumni Society grows

The Center for Multidisciplinary Studies is pleased to welcome Talya Meyerowitz, a new associate director of Alumni Relations.

Talya joins the center with a wealth of knowledge about alumni relations and she is eager to engage the community, especially the CMS Student Alumni Society. She knows the society has a long history of keeping graduates connected, and she looks forward to working with alumni society leaders, including staff liaison Donna McGowan-Smith ’95, to support new and creative ways to reach out to alumni, both locally and in other areas.

Introduce yourself by e-mailing txmdar@rit.edu.

A new tradition for Liberal Arts

College of Liberal Arts graduate student assistant Bailey Smith launched the new Welcome Back Bash on Sept. 15.

Bailey says she wanted to create a student-run event to show CLA pride and create more cohesiveness between the diverse departments. The bash drew faculty, staff and students who celebrated the beginning of the 2011-2012 academic year. It was such a success that it is expected to become an annual event with alumni.

Talya Meyerowitz, a new associate director of Alumni Relations, now supports the College of Liberal Arts. Talya is working to strengthen the Liberal Arts alumni base through outreach and creative programming. Share your ideas with Talya for encouraging alumni to return to campus and facilitating connections among Liberal Arts alumni. E-mail her at txmdar@rit.edu.

College of Science’s future alumni

The College of Science is proud of the students who participated in RIT’s annual Student Research and Innovation Symposium on Aug. 12.

Bioinformatics major Luticha Doucette has been paralyzed and in a wheelchair since she was 2 years old. Luticha, a Rochester native, and David Olney, a third-year chemical engineering student, have come up with a way to wirelessly guide a motorized wheelchair using a Smartphone or mobile device.

Luticha and David are just two of the more than 200 undergraduate students—all researchers and innovators—who presented their work at the symposium, one of the largest and most distinguished events of its kind.

RIT’s ninth college begins

The College of Health Sciences and Technology has officially become RIT’s ninth college.

Existing programs such as the physician assistant (B.S./M.S.), diagnostic medical sonography (B.S. and certificate program), biomedical sciences (B.S.), clinical chemistry (M.S.), nutrition/management (B.S.), health systems administration (M.S.) and medical illustration (M.F.A.) have successfully moved over to the new college.

Alumni who graduated from these programs are supported by new associate director of Alumni Relations Lauren Sauer, who also supports alumni of the College of Science.

Contact Lauren about programs or activities at lmsdar@rit.edu.

Golisano College students meet alumni

One of the many objectives of RIT’s honors program is to help develop lifelong relationships and talents. Honors students at the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences did just that on their recent trip to Philadelphia.

The three-day trip in early October kicked off the school year for 36 students traveling with staff chaperones. Alumni volunteers at start-up companies as well as international conglomerates proved to be inspirational hosts. We extend a special thanks to Jason Cavett ’06, software engineer at The SI Organization Inc.; Russ Zumwalt ’05, manager at Oracle Corp.; Derek Mansen ’10, engineer at RJMetrics; and Mark Weil ’10, co-founder and software engineer at Cloudmine. The alumni gave tours of their workplaces and spoke about their journey to the workforce. Happy anniversary, Formula SAE Racing

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the RIT Formula SAE Racing team on campus.

The team hosted alumni, family and friends to kick off the milestone year during Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend and will host a year-end reception during Imagine RIT on May 5.

Mark your calendars to watch as the team unveils its new car for the upcoming race season.

The RIT student chapter of the Society for Women Engineers (SWE) and members of the Women in Engineering program (WE@RIT) traveled to Chicago for the SWE National Conference. While there, they hosted RIT engineering alumnae for a networking reception.

NTID students transition to college

More than 260 incoming RIT/NTID first-year students from 39 states participated in the annual Summer Vestibule Program (SVP), which began Aug. 20.

The 10-day summer program provided students with the opportunity to sample a variety of degree programs, take placement exams and learn about student life opportunities.

The transition to college life does not stop after SVP, as students continue through NTID’s First Year Experiences (FYE) program, developing critical skills vital to the success of their academic studies such as stress/time management, conflict resolution. and community service.

“The program has been very successful, and the feedback we receive from students who participate in the program every year has been positive,” says Amy Stornello ’96, SVP/FYE manager.

SCB renews its call for alumni coaches

Would you like to develop your coaching and leadership skills while helping students develop theirs? If so, the Saunders College of Business wants you for its Coaching & Leadership Program.

Launched in March 2010, this one-day program is split into two parts: a coaching workshop for alumni, led by an experienced coach and teacher, followed by the observation and coaching of students as they work on a series of activities.

More than 100 freshman students are anticipated to sign up for the next coaching day, set for Jan. 27. A coaching day for juniors is also in the works. For more information, go to http://saunders.rit.edu/coaching or contact Dana Pierce at dpierce@saunders.rit.edu or 585-475-2199.

Alumni who work at Hasbro in Providence, R.I., posed for a photo Aug. 3 with Mr. Potato Head. This was the first alumni event at the company.