There’s no place like RIT

Welcome to ROZ-chester!

Before I take you down the orange brick road, let me give you the backstory on what has become an annual rite of passage for our new incoming students. Each fall, Nancy and I help create a “welcome” video for the first-year class. The videos demonstrate the creativity, talent, and ingenuity you’ll find throughout the RIT campus. In addition to nearly 50,000 views on YouTube, the six videos and excerpts have been viewed hundreds of thousands of times on other social media platforms.

This year, our aim was to make our new students feel at home. We teach our students it’s all about the journey of exploration and adventure and using creativity to solve problems along the way. Lean into life, and your college experience will be filled with joy and awe. Here is one of the opening lyrics in the video:

“And we’re here to tell you about this Tiger land, where the bricks are orange, not yellow like sand…RIT where great minds meet. A community of makers, we can’t be beat.”

A key objective of the videos is to make Nancy and me approachable and create a more comfortable atmosphere around campus for our 17,000 Henrietta, N.Y., students, especially those who are nervous about beginning their college studies.

“Ignore voices who thrive on fear and doubt. Here is your moment, your time to break out.”

Each video blends humor with the university’s ethos, demonstrating that, at RIT, working hard and having fun go hand in hand.

“RIT—where great minds meet—a community of makers, we can’t be beat…We’ll help you to rally, prove you’ve got knowledge. And soon you’ll be a rock star in college.”

We invite you to use the QR code and follow along as our lively Oz characters overcome challenges and embrace the spirt of creativity and innovation that makes RIT such a special place.

“Sharing interests with others who add fuel to your fire, you’ll get engaged, refreshed, and inspired.”

There really is no place like RIT!

Yours in creative spirit,

David C. Munson Jr., President