Hello RIT/NTID alumni family,
It is such an honor to start this Alumni News article as the current president of the NTID Alumni Association Board of Directors! We would like to use this opportunity to announce the new executive committee: myself as president, Megan Gonzalez as vice president, and Tim Beatty as secretary. We all want to offer our heartfelt thanks to those who have communicated your continued support and we look forward to keeping you in touch with the NTIDAA world, activities, news, and events.
We also want to salute our ex-officio president, Anna-Marie Unger, for her outstanding tenure over the past two years. She makes history as the first president of the NTIDAA from the American Sign Language and Interpreting Education (ASLIE) program, and it is something we are proud of. Anna-Marie’s guidance and creativity over the past two years allowed our organization to grow in new and meaningful ways.
Now, for a recap of the NTIDAA Board fall meeting weekend, which corresponded with Brick City Homecoming. It was fantastic to have everyone on campus, and it was a super fun and busy long weekend!
Thursday, October 17
On Thursday, we started with the soft opening of the stunning new space in LBJ Hall—The Street. From the stairway celebrating NTID’s past, present and future with beautiful photos and covers from NTID Focus magazines over the years, to the glass and electronic displays in the hallway, it was amazing to see all the highlights of NTID’s history. Following comments from NTID President Gerry Buckley and NTID Alumni Relations Director Loriann Macko, members of the NTIDAA Board of Directors and NTID Foundation Board of Directors mingled and reflected on shared memories. Check out the NTIDAA Facebook post about this event. A community event to celebrate this space is planned for December 5.
Friday, October 18
On Friday, our meeting time focused on updates about NTID. President Gerry Buckley gave a State of the Institute address that touched on topics from enrollment to budget, the NTID Career Fair, and stories about current students and challenges faced. Charles McFadden, executive director of the Pre-College Program, presented the many different programs in pre-college outreach, including STEM, Project Fast Forward, NTID Math Competition, and Explore Your Future, all of which provide opportunities for middle and high school students. Dr. Alesia Allen, assistant vice president for NTID Diversity and Inclusion, spoke about the new NTID Safe Space and diversity and inclusion objectives. Erin Auble, interim chair for NTID Performing Arts, discussed plans for the exciting 50th Anniversary of NTID Performing Arts, which include an exhibit in the Dyer Arts Center showcasing NTID’s performing arts history. During lunch, we interacted with students who participated in NTID’s student-alumni mentoring program. It was a treat getting to know them while providing them with some “real world” tips and advice.
In the afternoon, Andrea Zuchegno, department chair of Visual Communications Studies (VCS), provided updates on VCS, and we learned more about Morpheyes Studio. John Macko and Regina Kiperman-Kiselgof from NTID’s Coop and Career Center (NC3) shared updates about their recent NTID Career Fair (34 companies participated, and more than 240 students attended). NC3 is also spearheading the National Deaf Employment Summit to elevate and increase the number of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals in the workplace.
In the evening, we attended the NTID Performing Arts 50th Anniversary exhibition and reception in the Dyer Arts Center. We then watched the NTID Performing Arts Directors Panel, which was moderated by Rosa Lee Timm. The panel was fascinating, and it was great to learn more of the “behind the scenes” stories from each of the past directors.
Saturday, October 19
On Saturday, the NTID Alumni Association Board of Directors met privately to review initiatives and new projects and welcome new members. Each of the committees provided a summary of their plans. Moving forward over the next few months, the board will work on the following:
- Development Committee: led by Jason Wagner, this committee will help educate alumni about fundraising opportunities that support NTID.
- Communications Committee: led by Alex Van Hook, this committee will support the other committees in their communication needs.
- Diversity and Governance Committee: led by Omar Chung, this committee will support the NTIDAA in locating and onboarding new members.
- Alumni-in-Training Committee: led by Justin Drawbaugh, this committee developed plans to establish the alumni-student mentoring program (which is now up and running) and will continue to reach out to alumni interested in becoming mentors.
- Alumni Programming Committee: led by Jeremy Sebest, this committee has helped establish and manage an NTID Alumni Reps program across the country. Stay tuned for more news about gatherings and events in your area!
Closing
We attended the NTID Alumni Tailgate and then watched the RIT Men’s Hockey game at the Blue Cross Arena. RIT lost its homecoming game against Bowling Green University, but we were still full of Tiger spirit!
As always, go, Tigers!
Bola Desalu, NTIDAA President and Megan Gonzalez, NTIDAA Vice President
