From the NTID President's Office - November 2024

Over the next few weeks and months we will begin to learn more about what proposed changes will be moving forward for serious consideration by the incoming administration and Congress. NTID has experienced consistent and ongoing bipartisan support from Congress throughout our 60+ years of operation. We continue to reach out to both Republicans and Democrats to emphasize the ways in which we are focused on our mission of providing career education designed to help strengthen the American workforce.

Our work is highly respected on Capitol Hill, and we will persist in educating and informing key individuals about our work and its impact on the careers of more than 11,000 graduates. We continue to focus on efforts to finalize our appropriations request for FY 25 and will share news as it is available.

We want to congratulate our local representatives who were re-elected, including Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Congressman Joe Morelle, and we will continue to share with them and other members of Congress all the positives NTID brings to the lives of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals.

Many thanks for all you do to support our students’ and graduates’ success. RIT and NTID will continue to provide the education and experiences our students need to pursue their goals and lead successful lives, and as President Munson said at University Council last week, RIT remains an educational community that is welcoming and safe for all.

Submitted by Rick Postl

RIT has added an Early Action application timeline to remain competitive in the tight student enrollment market. This is in addition to the Early Decision I/II (binding) and Regular Decision application timelines. Early Action is for students who know RIT is among their top choices and are ready to submit their application, but do not necessarily want to commit until the National College Decision Day on May 1. This timeline offers motivated students a quick response, without the time constraints of the Early Decision I/II timeline. This may mean faculty and staff engagement in supporting the RIT/NTID Office of Admissions earlier in the admissions cycle than in past years.

Submitted by Laurie Furibondo and Heather Eaggleston

New Funding

NTID’s Morpheyes Studio received $10,000 from Genesee Valley Council on the Arts to hire a deaf digital media artist to support several ongoing projects, including the "Deaf And…" series and a pilot video in collaboration with Cornell University that aims to capture Deaf poets sharing ASL folktales and enhancing them with visuals through motion graphics. This grant from the Genesee Valley Council on the Arts will assist Morpheyes Studio to make further progress on their assignments. Morpheyes operates as a deaf-led professional studio where deaf amateur creatives and filmmakers develop their skills within an accessible and experimental learning work environment. The studio is committed to the development of creative production skills through our experimentation of Deaf Lens, and empowering artists with the opportunity to execute their own visions across all phases of the production process.

Please congratulate principal investigator Ernie Roszkowski, creative producer Lauren Putz, and the Morpheyes Studio team on this award.

SPDI Program: Upcoming Call for Proposals to Support NTID Faculty Research and Scholarship

This month, OADR will announce a call for proposals for their Scholarship Portfolio Development Initiative (SPDI) Program, an internal seed-funding opportunity designed to support research and scholarship with the goal of positioning projects for future external funding. Eligible applicants include NTID tenure-track assistant/associate professors and assistant/associate research professors without prior PI experience on extramural awards, as well as visiting assistant professors with scholarship in their plan of work, provided that funds are used before their contract end date. Applications are due Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2025. Please reach out to Laurie Furibondo for more information.

Submitted by Linda Bryant

I am pleased to announce the establishment of the NTID Center for Workforce Development, a new addition to NTID’s Learning Consortium. Joining forces with the NTID Learning Center and NTID Online Initiatives, the NCWD will be a central resource for lifelong learning and career advancement by providing innovative, workforce-oriented programs. Led by Dr. Linda Bryant, the NCWD will collaborate closely with academic departments and industry partners to offer specialized certificates, bootcamps, and workshops designed to equip external audiences with in-demand skills for today’s job market.

This new initiative centralizes NTID’s efforts to streamline professional development opportunities and create accessible non-credit pathways to enhance the careers of deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals as well as professionals who support this community. NCWD is especially interested in partnering with industry to create and deliver professional development opportunities that help deaf and hard-of-hearing community members to upskill, reskill, and explore new career paths.

For more information, or to explore collaboration opportunities, email NCWD@rit.edu.

We’re introducing a new feature, “Behind the Stripes,” where we get to know a member of the NTID community. This month, we meet Camille Ouellette, senior lecturer in the Department of Science and Math.

• Congratulations to Thomas Warfield, who was named NTID's first Professor of Practice. As NTID’s first Professor of Practice, Warfield will teach and tutor undergraduate/graduate students in performing arts and dance disciplines, advise and mentor deaf and hard-of-hearing students, and support both NTID Performing Arts and RIT’s College of Liberal Arts School of Performing Arts by serving as a bridge between the practitioner and the academic community. Warfield supports both NTID Performing Arts and RIT’s College of Liberal Arts School of Performing Arts by serving as a bridge between the practitioner and the academic community. He has been the director of dance at RIT for 25 years.

• Congratulations to Loriann Macko, Amelia Hamilton, and everyone in the Office of Alumni and Constituent Relations and the Office of External Affairs, on the completion of The Street, a multimedia space on the second-floor street area that celebrates NTID’s past, present, and future. 
   
• A big thank you to everyone involved in making Brick City Homecoming and Family Weekend such a success. Our alums, family members, and retirees consider NTID a ‘home away from home,’ and truly enjoy coming back to visit. No matter what role you played in the weekend, you made their time here memorable.
   
• NTID Performing Arts’ 50th Anniversary is a milestone in the life of NTID and accessible theater. An exhibition in the Dyer Arts Center with artifacts, costumes, photos, and more from the various productions and people who made them possible is a treat to experience. I encourage you to take time to pay a visit. I also encourage you to get your tickets for the production of “Peter and the Starcatcher” Nov. 15-17. I'm pleased to invite you and a guest to Opening Night of Peter and the Starcatcher 7:30 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15. Reserve up to TWO FREE TICKETS by Wednesday, Nov. 13 by contacting Erin Auble or Gabi Nocciolino, with your full name and number of tickets. Limited tickets available, on a first come, first serve basis. Additional tickets to the performance may be purchased through the box office. 
   
• Once again, our bachelor of science in interpreting (BSI) students provided pro bono interpreting for Rochester Museum and Science Center’s Deaf Culture Day. Both our students and those visiting the RMSC benefitted from this event.
   
• Jim Mallory and students from the ICS capstone class worked with RIT Dining Services on a kiosk system to improve accessibility for deaf and hard-of-hearing students when ordering and picking up items in The Commons, The Grind, and Beanz.
   
• Patrick Graham, department chair, and TJ Sanger, coordinator for graduate advising, engagement, and retention for the MSSE program, presented “STEAM Vocabulary and Defining Instruction” at the California Educators for the Deaf Conference in La Jolla, California.  
   
• U-RISE participant and cybersecurity student Hayden Orr presented “MULTICOLLAB-ASL: Towards Affective Computing for the Deaf Community” at ASSETS 2024. Co-authors included Michael Peechatt, a computing and information sciences Ph.D. student, and Cecilia Alm, professor in the Department of Psychology.
   
• Jenny Barton and Violetta Kowalczyk, who serve as NTID student delegates for the American Cancer Society (ACS) at RIT, invite members of the RIT/NTID community to Pulse Happy Hour, 4-6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15, to register to participate in the Relay for Life, happening in April, 2025. Those who sign up have the opportunity to ‘pie’ one of three community volunteers. Our colleague Mary Karol Matchett has graciously volunteered to be one of the people who will get ‘pied’ by registrants. Be sure to stop by and support Dr. Matchett and our dedicated student delegates.

• Thomas Warfield named NTID’s first Professor of Practice
• Deaf Culture Day at RMSC
• Three benefits of AirPods Pro 2 and possible detractions
• RIT/NTID partners with RMSC for Deaf Culture Day
• NTID Performing Arts presents ‘Peter and the Starcatcher’ Nov. 15-17
• A Deaf-friendly weekend in Rochester
• Innovators: This Upstate NY founder pioneers AI sign language platform for the deaf
• Repurposing pay phones to provide service for Rochesterians who can’t afford it
• Third annual Together RIT: theme is Deaf culture, disability, and neurodiversity
• Deaf Instagram influencer Lily Yu visits Rochester
• Students mobilize for 2024 election with a youth voter push on campuses

• Phillip R. Grein, ’71 NTID (NTID Programs Pre 1975), passed away Oct. 20, 2024. He was a member of NTID’s pioneer class of 1968.
• Professor Emeritus Edward Maruggi passed away Nov. 4, 2024.
• James Kersting, former faculty member, passed away Nov. 5, 2024. Arrangements are pending.
• Linda Schiltz, RIT/NTID alum and member of Delta Alpha Sigma (DAS) sorority, passed away on Nov. 5, 2024.