RIT receives gift from IDI Billing Solutions to support diversity initiatives

A gift from IDI Billing Solutions, a global provider of cloud-based billing, automation and workflow solutions for Communications Service Providers, will help Rochester Institute of Technology fund a series of important diversity initiatives. The company recently donated $162,000 to help RIT provide new scholarships, emergency support funds, and programmatic opportunities for RIT and K-12 students.

RIT will use the funds to establish an endowed scholarship for students at RIT’s Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences and Saunders College of Business with a preference given to African American, Latino American, and Native American (AALANA) students from Western New York with demonstrated financial need. It will also create an endowed student support fund to assist AALANA students who are experiencing unavoidable or unexpected financial difficulties that can be used for housing, food insecurity, books, supplies, and other essential needs.

Additionally, the gift provides funding to expand the Men of Color, Honor and Ambition and Women of Color, Honor, and Ambition programs so that they can accommodate additional students. The gift will help sponsor the Career Services Diversity Affinity Reception that takes place on the eve of RIT’s Career Fair, and it will help support RIT’s RoboCamp@RIT, which provides K-12 students an introduction to RIT and the field of robotics.

“Our goal with this gift is to make an impact on the AALANA communities and help build a pipeline for the future with a diverse and inclusive workforce,” said Donald J. Culeton, IDI Billing Solutions CEO. “We’ve partnered with RIT to make an impact on early learners, new RIT students, emerging leaders, and students embarking on their career search.”

Keith Jenkins, RIT’s vice president and associate provost for Diversity and Inclusion, said the gift from IDI will provide transformative support to RIT students for years to come.

“We extend our deepest thanks to IDI for partnering with the university to support these important initiatives,” Jenkins said.

This gift is part of Transforming RIT: The Campaign for Greatness, a $1 billion university fundraising effort, the largest in university history. This blended campaign seeks support from a variety of investors, including alumni and friends, government and corporate partners, and research foundations and agencies. The campaign has raised $832 million to date.