From the NTID President's Office

As we enter the month of March and nearing the midpoint of the spring semester, I want to congratulate each of you for the work that you have done to make last fall and spring thus far such a success. It takes effort and consistency from each of us, and you have gone above and beyond. I am truly grateful to each of you for helping our students be successful in such challenging times.

Overall enrollment for spring has exceeded our projections and is ahead of last spring. We’ve seen increases in NTID program enrollment as well as ASLIE and MSSE. Enrollment of deaf and hard-of-hearing students in RIT graduate programs is up by 23 over last spring.

The increase in enrollment is further evidence of the confidence that students and their parents have in us. While many colleges are struggling with enrollment, our numbers remain positive and everyone’s efforts are making a difference in retaining students and helping them move forward in their studies despite the pandemic.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Pamela Lloyd-Ogoke as chairperson of our National Advisory Group. We also welcome Marlene Mata as our newest NAG member. I am grateful for Pamela and Marlene’s service to NTID.

The NTID Annual Report fulfills the requirement of the Education of the Deaf Act that NTID prepare and submit an annual report to the Secretary of Education. The 2020 report can be found at this link and past reports can be found here.

OADR recently contracted with Susan Rizzo of PostScript Editorial Services to provide editing-related work to NTID faculty on grants and journal articles. This is the third consulting agreement OADR has secured for services that we recommend faculty consider “outsourcing” to the experts we’ve engaged: statistics, program evaluation, and now editing. Susan’s work encompasses three service areas:

• Proofreading: identification and correction of mechanical incongruities (e.g., misspellings, punctuation errors, textual & numerical inconsistencies)
• Stylistic editing: advising on matters of word choice and sentence construction
• Developmental editing: advising on larger writing issues such as argumentation and text organization

All requests for any of these three consultation services (statistics, program evaluation, or editing) must first come to Bob Pollard. He will vet which requests are most consistent with OADR priorities and are feasible within the time and cost constraints of each contract. All three of these service providers are ready to take on new work, so don’t hesitate to contact Bob with your requests.

SAVE THE DATES for the following PI Prime Time* Presentation Series – Spring 2021. Interpreters and captioning have been requested for all of the presentations.

• Friday, February 26, 2:30-4:00 p.m. (virtual) Introduction to Foundation Relations Participants will learn how campus partners in University Advancement can help you identify potential foundation funders for your work, make connections with foundations, and help you navigate the proposal submission process. Presenters will share some tips for success and answer questions you may have about foundations or the application process. Presenters: BJ Hoerner, Stephanie Rankin, Katie Riley, and Regina Arlauckas Click here to register for Introduction to Foundation Relations (Zoom link)
• Friday, March 12, 2:30-4:00 p.m. (virtual) Budget Development (pre-award) Presenters: David Grames and Laurie Furibondo Click here to register for Budget Development (Zoom link)
• Friday, April 16, 2:30-4:00 p.m. (virtual) Academic Writing for Publications Presenters: Bob Pollard and Joseph Hill Click here to register for Academic Writing for Publications (Zoom link)
• Friday, TBD, 2:30-4:00 p.m. (virtual) Race and Bias in Research Presenters: TBD

Imagine RIT: Innovation + Creativity Festival will be held virtually Saturday May 1, 2021. For those interested in submitting an exhibit, information on the new format and answers to questions can be found on the Imagine website or contact Nancy Popolizio. The deadline to submit is March 22.

Past Workshops – PowerPoints and Recordings

Presentation materials from past workshops are available here. New posts include:

• Creating Access to Visual Content (PDF)
• Summarizing Student Survey Results (MCF/SRATE): Tips, Templates, and Transparency (Video and PDF)

Professional Development Programs for All RIT Employees: RIT’s Center for Professional Development (CPD) provides programs for faculty and staff to promote growth and development at RIT. Check out the monthly Course Calendar. Upcoming programs include: Creating Change, Starfish Academic Alert for Instructors and Advisors, and Healing from Injustice and Internalized Oppression.

Invitation to Apply: Ronald D. Dodge Memorial Endowment Fund Faculty Grant: A grant of up to $1,000 is offered annually to RIT faculty members for financial assistance in supporting research and development efforts conducted during the academic year. Projects must have as their purpose improving the effectiveness of faculty engaged in educating deaf and hard-of-hearing students at RIT. Grant applicants are expected to file appropriate documentation to establish the potential impact of the work upon deaf students at RIT. The grant application deadline is Friday, March 26, 2021. Guidelines and application: ( PDF | DOC ).

A virtual opening reception for “This is Not Normal: Deaf Modernist Sensibilities” happens 7 – 8:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 26. To register, go to bit.ly/deaf-modernist.The exhibit includes more than 60 contributions from 16 artists, including Susan Dupor, Angie Goto, Raymond Fuyama, Randy Dunham, and Zeinab Sadeghi Kaji. More details can be found on the Dyer website.   

Information on the FMS Work Order System is located on their website. Some frequently asked questions include:

Who handles what?

• If the repair needs to be done in your office, you will have to input the information. 
• If the repair needs to be done in a common area (hallways, stairs, general classrooms, restrooms and open areas), email Sharon Vandezande or Chris Knigga.
• If the repair needs to be done in department labs, the lab manager inputs the information.
• If the repair needs to be done in a department suite, the staff assistant inputs the information.
• There is a feature on the page to include three available times to grant access to your office.    

What is considered a “Work Order”? 

• Light(s) out
• Spilled food/drink on carpet
• Bugs/rodent problems
• Door lock problems
• Room temperature
• Leaking or loose ceiling
• Abnormal odor
• Broken window
• No power from electrical outlets 

What is NOT considered a “Work Order”?  Contact us instead.              

• Broken furniture
• Lost/stolen keys
• Hanging shelves, pictures & hooks
• Broken blinds
• Painting
• Office name signs

If you need help completing a Work Order or have questions, contact Sharon Vandezande or Chris Knigga.
Current projects include renovation of restrooms for the east side of LBJ Hall and on the first floor of CSD-SDC.

Planned summer projects include renovation of first floor clustered classrooms and exterior window replacement in LBJ Hall.

The LBJ Hall window replacement project will impact anyone in LBJ Hall who has a window office facing North (Jefferson Rd.), West (main RIT campus) and South (Frisina Quad).

• TENTATIVE TIMELINE: May 2021. This may change due to RIT’s response to COVID-19.
• DURATION OF THE PROJECT: Four – eight weeks.
• WHAT IS EXPECTECTED: Contractor will remove the old windows and blinds and install new windows with new shades.  Most of the work will be done from the outside.  After the windows are installed, they will go in the office to install trim and hang new shades. They will also repair any paint or wall damage that may occur during the installation.
• WHAT YOU NEED TO DO: Please move all items at least five feet away from the window, including items hanging on the walls. Everything must be removed from the wall shelving as the contractor will take down the shelves to hang protective plastic. If there are items in your furniture box shelf piece or filing cabinets and they are within five feet of the window, please pack the furniture contents into boxes. All furniture must be empty to be moved by the movers or by yourself should you choose to move it. This prevents damage to the furniture and flooring. Email Chris Knigga or Sharon Vandezande if you need boxes and approximately how many you’ll need.  All of your furniture and possessions will remain in your office throughout the construction project. The room needs to be prepared for the project by April 30, 2021 (tentative schedule).
• WHERE DO I WORK IF MY OFFICE IS UNDER CONSTRUCTION? The majority will work from home. Those staying on campus should work with their supervisor to make other arrangements. FMS does not have relocation options and asks for flexibility.
• WHAT IF I CANNOT MOVE THE FURNITURE MYSELF? If you cannot move the furniture pieces please ensure the contents are packed into boxes and the moving company will move the empty furniture approximately one week prior to the start of construction.
• WHAT IF I CANNOT GO BACK TO MY OFFICE TO PACK? The moving company will assist with the packing.
• WHAT ABOUT MY COMPUTER? Please contact the NTID Service Desk to make arrangements to have computers relocated.

We recognize these are difficult times to move forward with a renovation that impacts individual offices. We have a few weeks before the offices need to be packed up so you can take care of it at a time when you can maintain physical distancing. FMS will do our best to help with any needs you may have to get this accomplished. If you have any questions, contact Sharon Vandezande or Chris Knigga. Thank you in advance for your teamwork and cooperation with this renovation project.

• NTID hosted virtual FutureQuest events this month in Ohio and Colorado. More information can be found here.
• Information about the NTID Virtual Science Fair’s Paper Plane Competition is located on this website.
• NTID’s Career Exploration Series held sessions on Entrepreneurship and Business Pitches for teachers and students in February. The sessions were led by Scot Atkins. Additional sessions in the series can be found on their website.            
• Next Big Idea-NTID
  • College students’ final competition (virtual) will be March 30.
  • High School competition: first round presentation submissions are due March 5, with the final competition (virtual) scheduled for April 6. 
• Virtual summer outreach programs for 2021:
  • May                        CSD-Learns/NTID STEM Virtual Classroom
  • June 27-July 2    Illinois PreETS STEM Program 
  • July 11-15           Explore Your Future Session #1
  • July 18-22           Explore Your Future Session #2

• To the following Staff Council Presidential Award nominees:

Individual Nominees:
Cynthia Cappa, scheduler, Department of Access Services
Firoza Kavanagh ’87, senior staff specialist, NTID Academic Affairs
Sarah McCormick ’05, ’07, senior staff assistant, NTID Student Life Team
Wayne “Kip” Webster ’78, ’80, ’96, manager, NTID Interpreting Team for SCB and GCCIS, Department of Access Services
Wendy Wheeler, Real-Time Captioning coordinator, Department of Access Services Real-time Captioning and Notetaking 

Team Nominees:
Rhonda Sliker, member of the College Scheduling Officers team

Coordinators of DAS
Cheryl Bovard ’86 ’91 ’11
Cindy Cappa
Brenna Cialini
Cynthia Collward ’85
Barb Fagenbaum ’77
Wendi Gammon
Monique Harris ’10 ’13 ’19
Jennifer Horak ’89
David Krohn
Catherine Lyon-Wilson ’93
Joyce Pemberton
Sheila Ryan
Jessica Swallow
Wendy Wheeler

NTID Counseling & Academic Advising Services (CAAS)
Eileen Contestabile
Lisa DeWindt- Sommer
Julie Diaz-Poore
Maury Ferreira
Dominique' Flagg
Jessica Hurd
Vicki Liggera
Bryan Lloyd ’90
Mary Pat Magde ’80
Laurie Mousley ’80
TJ Sanger II ’04
Kelsey Wall ’12

• A big thank you to Cathy Clarke for her leadership with Staff Council and her work on the awards.

• To Chris Kurz and the team of “World Around You,” who were awarded the Inclusivity Award by the mEducation Alliance.
• To Lisa Prinzi, who was nominated for RIT’s non-tenured faculty award.
• To the following NTID colleagues who completed the Cultural Humility Certificate program presented by Diversity Education. Each person took part in a total of six workshops, most taking a year to complete:
  • Michelle Gerson-Wagner, assistant director of pre-college outreach, Transition Services
  • Gayle Macias, senior interpreter
  • James McCarthy, senior marketing communications specialist, Communications, Marketing and Multimedia Services
  • Todd Pagano, associate dean for teaching and scholarship excellence, NTID Office of the President
  • Kaycee Summers, coordinator of outreach and special projects, Outreach Consortium
  • Barb Polle, Student Financial Services coordinator, Student and Academic Services
  • Mark Sommer, senior director, Outreach Consortium

Dave McCloskey, retired interpreter and long-time RIT Staff Council parliamentarian, passed away Feb. 12, 2021. https://www.ridgewayfuneralhome.com/obituary/James-McCloskey. 

David M. Williams, SVP ’75, ’78 NTID (Industrial Drafting) passed away Feb. 10, 2021. https://cooperfuneralhome.com/tribute/details/570/David-Williams/obituary.html#tribute-start

Joseph H. Healey, Jr., SVP ’89, ’93 NTID (Civil Technology), ’97 Engineering Technology (Civil Engineering Technology), passed away Feb. 5, 2021. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/name/joseph-healey-obituary?pid=197674233

Jeffrey Frink, SVP ’78, of Columbus, Ohio, passed away Jan. 21, 2021.

The Golden Link Folk Singing Society will hold a memorial service for Dean Santos via Zoom Sunday, April 11, 6-7:30 p.m. More information to come.