September 12, 2024

Munson Welcome and State of the University Address 2024

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Welcome and State of the University Address
Sept. 12
Ingle Auditorium, Student Alumni Union

President Munson:

Thank you, Keith. And thank you Prabu, Atia, Emily, and Alex for your dedication and passion. With your leadership, we are well positioned for another exciting academic year!

Good afternoon! Welcome RIT colleagues, students, and members of our community who are watching via live stream from around the globe. In this Welcome and State of the University Address, fellow Tigers, I’m going to review some of our amazing accomplishments. And then I will lay out some of the opportunities and vision we have for our exciting future.

Let’s start with reflecting on our achievements. At the new student Convocation in August, you may have heard the excellent news regarding our enrollment. Despite stiff headwinds due to fewer high school students choosing to attend college and a lengthy delay in the availability of the revised federal FAFSA student aid form, we’ve managed to recruit another amazing class of new students. We welcomed more than 3,100 new undergraduates hailing from 47 states and 44 foreign countries. We believe this is the most well-rounded and academically prepared class ever at RIT. Their average high school GPA is 93.8 percent, the average SAT score is 1375, and the average ACT score is 31.

The class is also more diverse, with more than 22 percent of new undergraduates identifying as AALANA (African American, Latin American, or Native American) — up an amazing 5 points.

We also have 516 new Performing Arts Scholars, swelling those numbers to approximately 2,000 on campus. At the graduate level, we have 951 new students beginning their studies at RIT this year, including 13 Fulbright scholars and 123 new Ph.D. students. Our graduate students have arrived from 39 countries, with the largest contingents coming from India, China, and Nigeria.

Our enrollment situation should be the envy of most universities across the nation. Kudos to the Enrollment team led by Vice President Kathleen Davis!

Our faculty achievements continue to propel the university’s reputation. The quality of scholarship and innovation in pedagogy are outstanding.

I would like to call your attention to our two most recent recipients of NSF’s Faculty Early Career Development Award. CAREER Awards are an indicator of a university’s growing research capability. RIT now has 18 faculty members who have received the award since 2014. Joining the list are:

  • Amy Engelbrecht-Wiggans, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering. She is exploring composite material performance.
  • Bing Yan, an assistant professor of electrical engineering. Professor Yan is working to make today’s energy grids smarter and easier to manage.

I also would like to congratulate Manuela Campanelli, Distinguished Professor of Astrophysics, who recently was named one of the world’s most influential female scientists. Manuela founded RIT’s Center for Computational Relativity and Gravitation and earlier this year received the Richard Isaacson Award in Gravitational-Wave Science from the American Physical Society.

Thanks to our world-class faculty, we are shining in research. We exceeded our Strategic Plan goal of $100 million annually in sponsored research awards a year early with $102 million. We have new record totals:

  • > $23 million from the Department of Defense.
  • > $20 million from the National Science Foundation.
  • > $10 million from the National Institutes of Health.
  • And a new record high for research expenditures — $75 million.

Growing our research programs increasingly allows RIT to contribute to the generation of new knowledge and the solution of global problems, and it offers wonderful opportunities for our students. 

Working collaboratively, the Office of Research and the Division of Government and Community Relations are working to position RIT on the state, national, and international stage.

We have some updates:

  • The Tech Hub: This summer, a consortium that includes RIT and numerous partners was awarded $40 million to boost workforce development in the semiconductor industry across the region and the nation. The NY SMART-I Corridor Tech Hub aims to eventually support the manufacture of a quarter of all semiconductor chips made in the U.S. This is part of an unprecedented federal funding opportunity created by the Chips and Science Act, with RIT serving as an academic partner alongside several other universities, economic development organizations, and corporations that are part of this joint Buffalo-Rochester-Syracuse consortium.
  • RIT is one of only six U.S. universities named as part of an international USA-Japan University Partnership for Workforce Advancement and Research & Development in Semiconductors, referred to as UPWARDS for the Future. This effort is being led by Micron Technology, which has committed to invest up to $100 billion over the next 20 years to construct new megafab facilities outside of Syracuse. The objective of UPWARDS is to improve competitiveness in semiconductor chip design, development, and manufacturing here in the United States and in partner nations. This global alliance is focusing on STEM workforce development with heightened efforts to engage more women in STEM. In August, we hosted the first cohort of 16 Japanese students who arrived on campus for tours and training.
  • Governors Island, a historic site in New York Harbor, is now home to a new world-leading climate solutions center. RIT is part of “The New York Climate Exchange,” which is bringing public and private higher education institutions and global companies together. The objective is critically important: to speed the development and deployment of effective and equitable solutions to address global climate change. Sponsored by the New York City Mayor’s Office and the Trust for Governors Island, RIT is a proud higher education partner in this consortium led by Stony Brook University, and including other partners such as Georgia Tech, Duke, Oxford, the University of Washington, and IBM. Steven Hammer, the inaugural CEO of the NY Climate Exchange, visited campus just two weeks ago. Together, we see many opportunities for RIT students, faculty, and staff to engage with Exchange partners to combat climate change. 
  • Batteries: Our expanding Battery Prototyping Center at RIT and the NYS Battery and Energy Storage Technology Test and Commercialization Center in Kodak Park (NY-BEST) have merged under RIT leadership to become one of the most comprehensive battery development enterprises in the nation. This merger brings together two distinct areas of expertise necessary for battery development and energy storage initiatives—the prototyping, training, and research capabilities based at RIT, and the systems safety and life-cycle testing, certification, and commercialization expertise of the center at Kodak Park.

Let’s turn our attention to the heart and soul of the university — our students.

RIT has a record six Fulbright U.S. Student Awardees this year, following a record 30 applicants and 15 finalists. The six recipients are 2024 graduates who will pursue immersive global experiences in Croatia, France, Kosovo, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan.

  • Joseph Casale will analyze aerial hyperspectral imagery to map the species of trees in Malaysia. 
  • Peyton D’Anthony will teach English in Kosovo. 
  • Emma Herz Thakur will create connections between artisans and museums in France. 
  • Mikkael Lamoca will research age-related neurodegeneration in Singapore. 
  • Izzy Moyer will work with The State Archives in Dubrovnik, Croatia. 
  • Sarah Sabal will pursue graduate education in Taiwan.

This summer, students from NTID captured the College Bowl trophy in Chicago. College Bowl is a spirited academic event that brings together deaf and hard-of-hearing contestants from top universities. It’s the seventh time NTID has won the biennial competition since 1988.

What do all these universities have in common? Cornell, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, Carnegie Mellon, Michigan, Purdue, Cal Tech, MIT …

    • Answer: They all lost to RIT!!!
    • RIT Formula Racing took first place at this summer’s Michigan SAE formula electric competition. 78 teams from the best of the best, and our Tigers led the way in acceleration, autocross, braking, and endurance in this all-EV competition. What an accomplishment!

Whether it’s our Rocket Launch team, Esports, Cyber teams, or RIT’s Clean Snowmobile team winning the SAE Clean Snowmobile Challenge, our students are competing and winning against the OTHER top universities in the land.

In athletics it was another stellar year for the Tigers:

    • Men’s swimming and diving captured the Liberty League championship — it’s third straight — and was led by 3 All-Americans
    • Women’s diving took second place in the Liberty League while Anna Peshenko was named “Swimmer of the Year.”
    • Men’s hockey won the Atlantic Hockey regular season championship and tournament, earning a berth in the NCAA tournament. They finished the season ranked 16th nationally.
    • Men’s lacrosse was the national champion runner-up. They have made five national championship appearances since 2013.
    • Overall, 19 RIT Tigers were named All-American.
    • Dozens received academic honors, with our athletes carrying a cumulative GPA of 3.41!

Concluding our long list of accomplishments — and there are countless more that I just can’t get to today — let me add that we would not be where we are today if not for Transforming RIT: The Campaign for Greatness.

The momentum created by the $1 billion dollar campaign we celebrated last October has only increased. The annual fund has more than doubled in the past four years, fueled by more than 700 members of the Sentinel Society since its launch in 2021. Our advancement team is busy, visiting over 3,400 donors and prospects during the last academic year. Alumni, parents, and friends across the country are raising their hands to support our community. We have vibrant and engaged National Councils partnering with our deans in each of our colleges. Additionally, Regional Councils have launched in Southern California, New England, and New York City, with plans to continue building these high-level volunteer groups across the country in the years ahead.  Philanthropic giving was up last year, and this fall we will be installing five faculty members into new endowed professorships, the highest academic honor a university can bestow. 

Collectively, we all have played a role in these achievements. Thank you for each of your individual contributions. RIT success starts with its people. Let’s give each other a round of applause.

So, what can we expect this coming academic year?

First, we are truly on to something amazing when it comes to elevating our reputation across the nation and the globe. If you travel to Boston, New York City, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., or Austin, Texas, you will see the RIT story in billboards outdoors and on mass transit. If you happen to be a prospective college student or their parent on Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, TikTok, SnapChat, Hulu, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora, or iHeart, you will also find RIT stories of creativity, innovation, community, and collaboration to inspire the next class of Tigers.

Data show that these marketing efforts are contributing to inquiries, applications, and deposits. With that data in hand, the Board of Trustees approved a significant investment in the Division of Marketing and Communications to further share and amplify awareness of RIT and all that we offer.

In partnership with Enrollment Management, college marketers and our Deans, the Division of Marketing and Communications will leverage the investment to expand awareness of RIT in more regions to help increase inquiries and applications for both undergraduate and graduate degree programs. The increased marketing expenditure will also help elevate RIT’s reputation among higher-ed peers, industry leaders, community leaders, and the public. And as you’ve seen on our social media pages, when our outdoor ads hit major cities like New York and Boston, our parents and alumni cheer us on. This excitement for RIT is contagious, and we can’t wait to see what Marketing and Communications will do next to continue to advance RIT’s exceptional brand and reputation.

Let’s turn our attention to Academic Affairs. We’ve launched our newest Ph.D. programs: Cognitive Science and Physics. The Cognitive Science Ph.D. program is jointly offered by six colleges within the university … Let me repeat, 6 colleges. Talk about multidisciplinary! Congrats to the College of Liberal Arts; College of Science; Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences; Kate Gleason College of Engineering; College of Engineering Technology; and National Technical Institute for the Deaf.

The College of Science houses the Physics doctoral degree. The program offers a wide array of research study including atomic/molecular/optical physics; multi-messenger astrophysics; photonics and the next quantum revolution; and physics for sustainable/renewable energy.

These two new programs bring RIT’s number of doctoral programs to 13. RIT’s priority in building doctoral research programs is integral to the university’s future. These programs attract top-tier faculty who generate research funding and support teams of graduate student researchers. In turn, research opportunities and the availability of excellent Ph.D. students help recruit outstanding new faculty to the university.

At our global campuses in China, Croatia, Dubai, and Kosovo, enrollments continue to increase as we add new degree programs. This fall, we will hit a record high of more than 4,000 students at these campuses. And RIT Dubai, which opened a new campus in 2021, has begun Phase 2 to further build out the campus in the UAE. Beyond these campuses, we have partnerships with institutions in nearly 100 nations.

Closer to home, we are creating a presence in Los Angeles. Tom Connor, former vice president of creative marketing at Walt Disney Co., has been appointed assistant provost. Tom, an alumnus of RIT’s School of Film and Animation, has also been named the Paul and Francena Miller Chair in International Education and is serving as a professor of practice in the College of Art and Design. He is enhancing the university’s presence in Los Angeles, with an initial focus on student programs in the entertainment industry. And under the direction of Professor Shanti Thakur, the School of Film and Animation has earned a spot on The Hollywood Reporter’s top film schools list. Ranking at No. 25, this is the first time RIT has been included in the listing.

Back in Rochester, we are leveraging our alliance with Rochester Regional Health. In the spring, Cathy Shannon joined us as the new executive director of the RIT and Rochester Regional Health Alliance. Cathy is working to facilitate numerous collaborations within this strategic partnership.

We are in the final planning stages with our College of Health Sciences and Technology to offer an Occupational Therapy Doctorate, and a Doctor of Physical Therapy program will soon follow. And we are working with Rochester Regional Health to develop a Nursing BSN program that will leverage RIT’s strengths in technology, informatics, and simulation.

Another huge opportunity for RIT is Artificial Intelligence. Everyone on campus can participate in the AI revolution, defining the leading role that RIT will play in AI within the realms of education, research, student services, and university operations.  I acknowledge that while the prospects of AI are exciting to many, they are terrifying to some.  You can put me in the optimistic camp as we work creatively to develop and implement this life-enhancing technology in a safe and ethical way.

Christopher Collison has been appointed Director of the RIT Artificial Intelligence Hub. The AI Hub is a newly formed strategic entity responsible for developing AI solutions for teaching and learning and promoting AI-enabled innovations and services on campus. Professor Collison is the Jane King Harris Endowed Professor in the School of Chemistry and Materials Science. He is a passionate and experienced researcher in AI-driven materials chemistry and renewable energy. As director, Chris will build relationships with AI researchers and AI-integrated educational practitioners across all disciplines.

Furthermore, as we establish the AI Hub in space at the interface between the SHED and Wallace Library, Provost David and our colleges will be making cluster hires to scale up our expertise by adding more than two dozen AI faculty.

In another area vital to RIT, we are announcing the launch of our newest organization, the Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation, with the explicit mission to establish RIT as a world recognized leader in entrepreneurship. With a dedication to commercialization, this office will create value for students, faculty, and staff, startups, our colleges, alumni and the broader business community. The Office of Entrepreneurship and Innovation will serve as a university-wide hub for entrepreneurial activities, providing resources, mentorship, a new accelerator, and other types of support for entrepreneurs. The foundational building blocks will be The Simone Center, the Venture Creations Incubator, The Center for Urban Entrepreneurship, and the Intellectual Property Management Office, with the objective to serve all areas of RIT.

The launch of this new office follows an extensive process that evaluated RIT’s entrepreneurial culture. Multiple studies, feedback solicitation, review sessions, strategy development, and implementation plans were executed by a set of highly successful experts, including entrepreneurs, alumni, business executives, academics, and RIT leadership. As a result of this work, several changes will be made in the coming months regarding the management of RIT’s entrepreneurship initiatives. Soon we hope to name the person who will lead this office as Associate Vice President & Managing Director.

Our talented students, faculty, and staff need the best facilities to perform their best. In this realm, our campus is undergoing a transformation.

Let’s shine a bright spotlight on the SHED, our Student Hall for Exploration and Development. Yes, it is an architectural marvel. But our students, faculty, and staff make it go! The SHED is our new epicenter for creativity and innovation. It represents the very essence of technology, the arts, and design merging together. The SHED bears the fingerprints of the exceptional students, faculty, and staff at RIT who poured their efforts and talents into its specification. But a building without a program is just a building. I would like to acknowledge our Vice Provost, Chris Licata, who led the program team to victory, as well as SHED Executive Director Tiffany Brodner and Director of SHED Makerspaces, Michael Buffalin who make the magic happen.

At the same time, I want to acknowledge former University Librarian Marcia Trauernicht and her team for their outstanding planning of our reconceptualized Wallace Library.  What a gorgeous, functional, and heavily used space! 

Other facility highlights and updates include:

  • The dedication a few weeks ago of the beautiful, expanded Saunders College of Business.  Kudos to Dean Jacquie Mozrall and her team on that project.
  • The Research Building, scheduled to open a year from now.  Many thanks to Ryne Raffaelle and the deans for their work on that project.
  • The Music Performance Theater, scheduled to open in January 2026. Our students can’t wait for this!
  • Our new Tiger Stadium, which should open in October 2025
    • We also have a new hardwood floor for Clark Gymnasium
    • And the venerable Ritter Arena has new life as our indoor turf athletic facility.
    • Thanks to athletic director Jackie Nicholson and her team on these projects.
  • At the start of 2025, University Advancement will coalesce and move to renovated space in the old Barnes and Noble at Park Point.
  • And finally, this summer we completed the most ambitious year of a five-year plan to renovate the residence halls. This includes adding air conditioning where needed; upgrades to restrooms, lounges, and hallways; and prudent maintenance. We have more work to do in the summers of 2025 and 2026, but we are making tremendous progress in this area where our students eat, sleep, and build relationships.

Let’s give a hand to all of our staff, faculty, and students who have been instrumental in bringing the SHED and so many other facilities to fruition.

At this time, I would like to acknowledge John Moore, our former associate vice president of Facilities Management Services. John, who retired in June, spent his career overseeing the construction of world-class buildings and creating workplace environments that empower people. Of course, John is world-class himself, as he is a proud alumnus of our mechanical engineering program!

Let me now introduce you to Raymond Orr, our new AVP in FMS, who has taken the torch and already is running at full speed. Ray brings a wealth of experience from Pacific Lutheran University and the U.S. Air Force. Welcome to RIT, Ray!

Let’s turn the page and discuss our vision for the future by reflecting on our past. When RIT President Mark Ellingson moved the campus from downtown Rochester to farmland in the nearby town of Henrietta in 1968, it was visionary. And it was also a calculated risk.

President Ellingson was confident RIT’s academic leadership and reputation would progress “at a constant accelerated pace” with his anticipation of a more deeply connected world. I like to say we are perpetually creating the future and taking a leading role on the global stage.

As we approach the successful completion of our “Greatness Through Difference” strategic plan in 2025, it’s time to turn our attention to the next 10 years. We have established a Strategic Planning Steering Committee, led by Enid Cardinal and Trustee Frank Sklarsky, that is guiding the creation of a new, bold and distinctive strategic plan that aligns with the university's mission, long-term goals, and core values.

Our strategic planning process provides an opportunity to collectively envision the future of RIT. This process will help us identify our priorities, set ambitious goals that reflect our shared values, and strengthen the attributes that distinguish RIT in the world of higher education.

We need your involvement! The success of this strategic planning process depends on the collective wisdom and creativity of our entire community. Your insights, ideas, and feedback are crucial to our success. There are several ways you can get involved:

  • Submit a Concept Paper: We invite faculty, staff, and students to submit concept papers with bold, innovative, and transformative ideas.
  • Attend a Town Hall: Join us for a series of town hall meetings where you can share your thoughts, ask questions, and engage in open discussions.
  • Complete the Survey: An online survey has been created to collect your ideas and feedback. Please take 10 minutes to share your thoughts by visiting the website.

Over the coming months, we will be gathering input, analyzing data, and drafting the plan. Regular updates will be provided to keep you informed of our progress. Our goal is to have a comprehensive strategic plan ready for Board of Trustee approval by October 2025

In tandem with the new Strategic Plan, another important aspect of creating our future is securing reaccreditation with our regional accrediting body, the Middle States Commission on Higher Education. We have begun this initiative and embarked on a university-wide process, which concludes in spring 2026. The evaluation, last completed in 2017, consists of extensive institutional self-study activities that culminate in a self-study report highlighting both RIT’s significant strengths as well as opportunities for improvement. This is a critical initiative for RIT.

Our accreditation process is led by three co-chairs:

You will receive progress reports directly from the steering committee. Members will be soliciting your ideas and feedback. To learn more, visit the website:

Now, let’s briefly discuss what may be the elephant in the room.

New people bring new ideas, so turnover in university leadership can be a healthy thing. I will have served for eight years when I step down. During this period, I've been privileged to work with my dedicated leadership team, the trustees, faculty, staff, students, alumni, and corporate and government partners to elevate RIT in such notable ways. Indeed, nearly all the objectives in our current Strategic Plan have been substantially completed. So, this is a perfect time to recruit a new president to help shape RIT’s future.     

This year, I intend to remain highly focused on the job at hand. We will have opportunities later to celebrate our collective work in establishing RIT as the premier university in the nation working at the intersection of technology, the arts, and design. As we have pursued this mission, I have been blessed with your ideas, passion, hard work, and friendship.

Together, we will continue to chart a path to an extraordinary future. This remains an extraordinary time for RIT. Thank you all for moving this great university forward. I am honored and humbled to be your colleague.

Thank you and go Tigers!