Steve and Vicki Schultz named outstanding alumni

‌

A. Sue Weisler

Vicki and Steve Schultz will be honored this fall for their ongoing support of RIT.

As a student, Steve Schultz was a founding member of the modern Computer Science House, was editor-in-chief of Reporter, spearheaded the creation of Student Government out of the former Student Directorate, pulled together multiple cheering sections to lead the Corner Crew, and was part of a group that brought the Tiger statue to campus.

His wife, Vicki (Dodds) Schultz, earned three degrees from RIT and worked in Development and Alumni Relations. She received an Outstanding Citizenship Within the RIT Community Award for her work on the Faces of Change conference, a program that encourages young women to pursue careers in math, science, engineering and technology, and the Richard P. Miller Award for spearheading the RIT United Way Campaign.

There’s no doubt that RIT is as big a part of the Schultz family as the Schultz family is a part of RIT. They will be honored for their ongoing support with the Outstanding Alumni Award during Brick City Homecoming & Family Weekend at the Presidents’ Alumni Ball on Oct. 19.

“It means the world to us,” Vicki Schultz says. “It is certainly not something we ever imagined while trudging across the Quarter Mile to and from class.”

Steve Schultz ’89 (computer science) is the co-founder and chief technical officer of Pictometry, which employs about 350 people. The company provides high-resolution aerial imagery and measurement analytics. Schultz designed and developed the underlying technology for Pictometry’s patented systems, learning his trade while working in the Chester F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science.

Vicki Schultz ’92, ’94, ’99 (photography, business administration, MBA) is now a stay-at-home mom for Skyler, 8, and Hayden, 6, and writer of parenting articles and young- adult novels. She also has been an active fundraiser for Rochester Walk Now for Autism Speaks and the Rochester Children’s Book Fest. In November 2010, the couple presented RIT with the first gift of $1 million to launch Tiger Power Play—The Campaign for RIT Hockey. Steve Schultz also is a member of RIT’s Board of Trustees.

Vicki Schultz says she was introduced to philanthropy while working at RIT and connecting with many alumni who gave back in meaningful ways. Steve Schultz says his father taught him the importance of philanthropy, saying, “if not money, then time.”

When choosing colleges, he picked RIT instead of Syracuse University because of the generosity of others. “Pictometry never would have come into existence,” he says, “had RIT not stepped up to the plate with the scholarships that let me afford college.”