News

Intersections: The RIT Podcast, Ep. 59: In July 2022, RIT opens a new School of Performing Arts to offer additional creative opportunities for thousands of students who wish to pursue their passions in performance while majoring in a range of other fields. College of Liberal Arts Dean Anna Stenport talks with Thomas Warfield, director of dance at NTID, and Assistant Professor Yunn-Shan Ma, director of the RIT Philharmonic Orchestra, on ways RIT is making dreams come true for students interested in performing arts.

RIT has named Erica Haskell professor and inaugural director of the university’s new School of Performing Arts. Haskell comes to RIT from the University of New Haven. She was selected as school director following a nationwide search and will begin her new role on July 1.

Construction on the Student Hall for Exploration and Development (the SHED) this summer will begin to move beyond the complex to the surrounding area.

From steel beams added to the RIT skyline to new fencing to mark the start of projects, here’s a rundown of what you might see on campus this summer.

INSIGHT into Diversity features NTID's Robert F. Panara Theatre and performing arts program.

While many colleges and universities require general education courses, RIT’s immersion requirement takes it a step further. Beyond the typical writing, math, science, social science, global studies, art, and ethics requirements, students are asked to fulfill an additional nine credits in a topic of interest. The intended result is to produce well-rounded students who have gained broader, more diverse perspectives.

RIT’s student-run radio station, WITR-FM (89.7), is getting a makeover with a new music format, logo, website, and later this year, a boost in transmission power.

As RIT prepares to open a School of Performing Arts, the new instructors that will come with the school will join an already talented pool of faculty and staff members who have been helping students eager to pursue their passions of music, dance, and acting, for years.

Say Cheese, a pioneering, heartfelt film directed and produced by two RIT students, took home the top prize in the Coca-Cola Refreshing Films program announced during the final night of CinemaCon in Las Vegas late Thursday. The project featured the combined creative efforts of students, faculty, and staff in RIT’s School of Film and Animation and NTID.

After going virtual for 2021, thousands of people came to the RIT campus on Saturday for an in-person Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival, which featured more than 250 exhibits throughout the campus from more than 1,800 students and faculty.

WITR-FM (89.7) will host RIT President David Munson at 3 p.m. Wednesday, April 20, as part of the “Ask Munson” series. The show will be the last of the 2021-2022 academic year.

A total of 272 exhibits varying from robots, virtual reality games, molten glass demonstrations, scavenger hunts, and performing arts are planned for this year’s Imagine RIT: Creativity and Innovation Festival from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on April 23.