RIT dean appointed Keuka College president

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Jorge Díaz-Herrera

Jorge Díaz-Herrera, the founding dean of RIT’s B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences, has been selected to lead Keuka College as its new president.

“I am here because of my passion for education and a strong sense of readiness. I am eager to lead at the next level,” says Díaz-Herrera, who came to RIT in 2002 as dean of the Golisano College. “I will enthusiastically give my full dedication and commitment to Keuka College in the only way I know: with passion and firmness.”

RIT’s senior leadership is excited to see one of its deans advance to the next level of academic leadership.

“We are extraordinarily proud to learn that Dean Díaz-Herrera has been selected to lead Keuka College,” says RIT President Bill Destler. “Jorge will undoubtedly lead Keuka with the same energy, passion and commitment to excellence that he has exhibited during his tenure as dean of the Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences. I look forward to continuing to work with Jorge as a fellow president of a Rochester-area college and offer him my warmest congratulations.”

Jeremy Haefner, RIT’s provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, agrees.

“It is an honor for RIT to place one of its own into the ranks of the president,” says Haefner. “Congratulations to Jorge on his success. We look forward to working with him in his new role.”

Díaz-Herrera came to RIT in 2002, assuming the position of dean of the Golisano College. Under his watch, the college has grown into one of the largest at the university (based on student enrollment) and has added a variety of new academic programs—including a Ph.D. program in computing and information sciences, a game design and development program and a master’s degree in medical informatics that is offered in conjunction with the University of Rochester.

“What we have accomplished here at RIT is quite remarkable. Colleagues out there look at what we have done, at a time when most computing programs in the country were suffering drastic declines in enrollment, and ask me how we did it. The answer is easy—because of our team,” Díaz-Herrera says. “It has been a privilege to team up with wonderful people up and down the chain of command here at RIT and I am grateful for the opportunity to have helped build something unique. Best of all, I learned a great deal from the people I have worked with.”

Prior to coming to RIT, Díaz-Herrera served as professor and chair of the computer science department at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta, Ga. He holds both a master’s and doctorate in computing studies from Lancaster University in the United Kingdom.

Díaz-Herrera announced in September that he would be stepping down as dean on June 30. A search committee is currently working to identify his successor.