Marian Nicoletti to retire after 33 years at RIT

After a 33-year career at RIT, Marian Nicoletti, assistant vice president and dean of admissions, will retire Sept. 30. A farewell reception in her honor is planned for 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 26, in University Gallery, James E. Booth Hall.

Since 1991, when she began her RIT career as an assistant director of admissions, Nicoletti has helped develop and execute the strategy to bring undergraduate students to RIT, resulting in the three largest classes of students in university history. In addition, she has served as a member of several university committees including the President’s Commission on Women and Middle States reaccreditation. Outside of RIT, she was president of the New York State Transfer and Articulation Association and mentored other admissions professionals as a summer institute faculty member for the New York State Association for College Admission Counseling.

What will you miss most about RIT?

I will miss the people that I’ve worked with through the years, including the admissions team and our student ambassadors who represent the university when prospective students and parents visit campus. I have been fortunate to work with many folks across campus on special projects and committees and, through this work, special relationships have been built. I have enjoyed taking the lighthearted approach with my colleagues while getting the hard work completed. I believe our common goals have been achieved for the university and we enjoyed some laughter along the way.

From your perspective, how has RIT changed in the last 30 years?

When I came to campus for my interview more than 30 years ago, I remember seeing so much brick and mortar, and lots of hard lines. I’ve seen this campus make a complete visual transformation. It’s park-like, welcoming, and aesthetically pleasing. More importantly, our academic portfolio has become greatly aligned with workforce demand, which continues to resonate with prospective families. Watching RIT grow over the years and transform into a highly respected national university has been a testament to the people who work hard every day for our students.  It has been an honor to work with such great people in an environment that is supportive and responsive to employee and student needs.

What has surprised you in the last 30 years?

I didn’t think I would be here for 30+ years, but I’ve always felt good about my work here. I have been fortunate to have had wonderful mentors over the years, including three great presidents who each played a hand in making RIT a better place. This place is always changing, always building and adding new programs and facilities to support the work necessary to stay aligned with our strategic plan. RIT’s appetite to grow enrollment has kept me busy over the years, and honestly, I never got bored with the work. Now, I’m ready to spend some time doing other work and checking off some items on my personal bucket list.

What are your plans in retirement?

I have a wonderful partner in my husband, Jon, who took care of things when I was working late hours or away on recruitment trips so we could raise our two children. We plan to spend lots of time traveling, including trips to Italy, Greece, and Portugal. I want to get better at my workout routine and perfect some of my ethnic cooking skills. Our children are just getting started in their professions, and we look forward to seeing them more often, in addition to our aging parents who need us more each passing day. Some “me time” would also be a very good thing.