Photo Spotlights

Students return to campus after their summer break and reconnect with friends. Classes began August 22.

The annual Lighting The Way ceremony and walk began in the Fireside Lounge to welcome new students who identify as women or non-binary. Lanterns waited to be picked up outside the Student Alumni Union.

RIT hosted a welcome ceremony at Liberty Hill for new students joining RIT through the Destler/Johnson Rochester City Scholars (RCS) and Mark and Maureen Davitt Graduate Education Endowed Scholarship programs. The 22 new Destler/Johnson RCS students come from eight public and charter schools located in the City of Rochester and will major in programs ranging from computer science to physics to international business. The three new Davitt Scholars will pursue graduate degrees in criminal justice, business (MBA), and metals and jewelry design.

Orientation Leader Jay’llen Hathman helps an incoming student at move-in. More than 3,000 first-year students, from 49 states and 34 countries, are expected fall semester.

RIT's Division of Diversity and Inclusion hosted the Orientation Multicultural Student Welcome event on Aug. 16 in the Fireside Lounge. African, Latino, Asian, and Native American (ALANA) students were invited to meet with other multicultural students, student leaders, faculty, and staff members from across the division. The event featured ice cream, dancing, a photo booth, and more.

The exhibition “RIT Big Shot: 35 Years of Painting with Light” was installed in the University Gallery recently and is on view Aug. 15-Oct. 16. It chronicles the history of the nighttime photographic project using artificial light to paint a subject during an extended exposure.

NTID held several educational camps this summer. All were geared toward exploring different career opportunities for deaf and hard-of-hearing high school students as they begin to think about college. Explore Your Future campers went on a campus tour and gathered around the RIT Tiger Statue for a group photo.

The Undergraduate Research Symposium, RIT’s annual showcase of innovative projects, took place July 28 with more than 200 students participating. The event featured some of the best in undergraduate research ideas and solutions.

An advanced RoboCamp for sixth- to eighth-graders was held the week of July 18. Camps for beginners and experts were also offered this summer. The week-long camp assists students in designing, building, and programming robots.

Girls all-skills volleyball camp took place on campus July 11-14. It was one of several summer sports camps this year. Here, seventh-grader Erin Kolodziej focuses on instruction during the camp.

Construction continues on the Student Hall for Exploration and Development (the SHED), which is on track to open in fall 2023. The SHED is intended to facilitate collaboration among students using the makerspaces, working on project teams, and participating in performing arts groups.

Thomas Warfield, director of dance in NTID’s Department for Performing Arts, receives the New York State Commendation Award from State Sen. Samra Brouk at RIT’s University Gallery on June 21. The award is presented to those who devote their personal time, energy, and creativity to bettering their community and inspiring others to do the same.