News
Sandra Johnson

More than 3,100 new RIT students got their official welcome Thursday, first parading past cheering faculty and staff in the annual Tiger Walk, then in the Gordon Field House and Activities Center for some friendly advice during this year’s Fall Convocation for New Students.

The new students come from 47 states (all but Arkansas, North Dakota, and Wyoming), Washington, D.C., and 44 foreign countries. They are among the most well-rounded and academically prepared classes at RIT, with average high school GPA's of 93.8 percent, up from 93 percent last year.

WROC-TV talks to Sandra Johnson, senior vice president of Student Affairs, and two new alumni about the versatility of the 2024 graduating class.

Students who started classes in 2020 didn't have the traditional transition from high school to college but learned to thrive during pandemic challenges.

Turn big dreams into reality. That was just one piece of advice for the newest Rochester Institute of Technology students who attended the New Student Convocation on Aug. 24. The annual event included welcomes from administrators, the new Student Government president, and a lesson in adventure featuring RIT President David Munson.

The new undergraduate students come from 48 states (all but Iowa and Wyoming); Washington, D.C.; Puerto Rico; Guam; U.S. Virgin Islands; and 47 countries, with the largest contingent coming from India, Canada, and China. In addition, there are 927 new graduate students.

Explore, discover, and get involved were some of the suggestions the newest RIT students received during Thursday’s New Student Convocation, which included welcomes from administrators, their new Student Government president, and even some levity featuring RIT President David Munson who pretended he needed to finish his college education.

The RIT men’s lacrosse team raised the NCAA trophy as Division III National Champions for the second time in as many years on May 29. On Tuesday the team was welcomed back to campus to celebrate Sunday’s exciting game and 12-10 victory over Union College.

A record number of first-year students Wednesday made their way to the Gordon Field House and Activities Center to cheers and welcomes from faculty, staff, and members of the RIT Pep Band during the annual Tiger Walk and New Student Convocation.

Thousands of students are expected back on campus next week, as a record number of freshmen move in, begin orientation, and attend New Student Convocation. Roughly 3,260 first-year students are expected – about 1,000 a day will move in starting Sunday through Tuesday. That’s up more than 250 students from last year, which also saw a record number of freshmen.

RIT unveiled a new sculpture of Frederick Douglass and a display of four cultural flags in the university’s Student Alumni Union. The sculpture was commissioned in celebration of the 50th anniversary of RIT’s Black Awareness Coordinating Committee, and the Haudenosaunee flag, the Black Lives Matter flag, the Rainbow or Pride flag, and the Sign Union Flag serve as a visual marker of RIT's commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

RIT welcomes a record number of first-year students today as classes begin in a semester that will look like no other due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The new students were welcomed Tuesday afternoon during an online convocation that featured several speakers, livestreamed without an audience from Ingle Auditorium.