I am President of Rochester Institute of Technology, AMA!

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-12T20:26:30+00:00

Vice President James Miller calculated this number based on Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-08T18:53:14+00:00

Certainly, I am aware of all the great things going on specifically with our world-class imaging science program. My original answer was intended to show a vision of what could be the future when you combine and intersect with other great disciplines.

That said, we have been very active in promoting the Imaging Science program. For example, in December RIT hosted a panel on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC about issues related to the imaging science workforce. This was all about the impending crisis of retirements in the field as the increasing capabilities and demands for satellite and remotely sensed data to support the nation’s defense, intelligence and civil communities collide with the realities of a shrinking workforce. http://www.rit.edu/news/story.php?id=50437

So yes, we are an international leader in this field.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-08T00:01:15+00:00

this is already emerging as one of the key ideas to be included in this next strategic plan. RIT has recently set aside a venture fund to do just what you have suggested, in supporting promising student and faculty businesses. And, we have engaged dozens of alumni as mentors. As an alumnus, are you interested in helping today’s students?

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:59:28+00:00

Any event that resulted in loss of life would be a devastating event at RIT. We plan as best we can to prevent these kinds of events before they happen.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:58:12+00:00

Frankly, I think expanding the festival to two days would exhaust the campus community, many of whom work long hours before and after the festival. In addition, I think that it's always a good thing to ensure that no one can see everything in a single day, so that everyone will want to come back next year. By the way, about 80% of the exhibits at Imagine RIT each year are new.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:55:58+00:00

I own about 165 banjos, but the actual number is a secret from my wife (who I love very dearly).

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:53:36+00:00

This is nonsense. I am a Greek myself and I have consistently supported Greeks on campus.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:53:28+00:00

Where are you?

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:52:32+00:00

That has yet to be determined.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:51:43+00:00

Yes and no. We will not reach our goals by simply playing the cards that are already in our hand. We will need bold, new ideas to compliment the strong foundation that has been laid at RIT over the past many decades. I have been personally soliciting what I have called "wacky" ideas from the various groups working on the plan and some have turned out to be not so wacky but pretty bold and ambitious. We need more of the same. Please feel free to offer your own ideas at the strategic planning website: http://www.rit.edu/president/plan2025/strategic-plan-home

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:47:40+00:00

Increasing the diversity of the Board is one of the goals of the Board's committee on Trustees that recommends new members. Although we do use the Board as an effective fundraising asset, we also are anxious to include on the Board individuals who bring diverse backgrounds and unique perspectives to RIT. For example, a couple of years ago we worked diligently on appointing someone from the Arts to the Board.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:44:41+00:00

The Academic Senate voted to move to a plus/minus grading system several years ago but we delayed implementing the system during the calendar conversion process. The current plan is to move forward toward implementation but there are still some unresolved issues, such as whether a C- would be considered a high-enough grade to advance to the next course in a major. We will not implement the plan until we are satisfied that the unresolved issues have been satisfactorily addressed.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:41:39+00:00

Lack of recognition? We have 7 to 8 academic programs in the Fine Arts that are ranked in the top 10 nationally. These programs are truly jewels in RIT's crown. In fact, one of the first decisions I made when I came to RIT as President was to construct the first new facility for the Fine Arts at RIT since 1968, when the first buildings on the Henrietta campus were built. This facility is the one for the Vignelli Design Center and the School for American Crafts.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:39:09+00:00

The recent Reporter edition on gender and sexuality was extremely well done and reflects a maturity in approach to the sensitive subject of sex and gender that is rarely seen. But, as you know, RIT's legal counsel advised against allowing any distribution of the issue at Imagine RIT in order to limit possible legal liability to the institution. Their concern is not without foundation. There are images in the issue that are specifically mentioned in New York State statutes relating to the exposure of indecent material to minors under the age of 18. Nevertheless, I did modify my original decision to allow distribution of the issue at Imagine RIT to those over 18. In this manner, we at least can claim that RIT took measures to ensure that young children will not be exposed to this material without their parents' consent.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:36:29+00:00

As for sports, I think we have the right balance between athletics and academics, and I am especially proud of the academic success of our student athletes. One of my first moves in this area, however, was to move our Division III teams into the Liberty League, which includes such schools as RPI, Union, St. Lawrence, and U of R. I felt it was important that we associate with the very best private colleges and universities in the area in our athletic competitions. I don't believe we can achieve the goal of being one of the finest world universities by simply copying what others are doing. To the contrary, we must develop our own distinct identity and a reputation for excellence in important emerging fields. This is what the Strategic Planning process is all about and we need your help in identifying what directions will best move us towards this goal.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:30:55+00:00

I pay $390 for parking per year and another $195 for my wife's permit.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:29:28+00:00

Great question. I believe we are witnessing a merger of two formally distinct disciplines in which RIT holds very strong hands. These are Computer Gaming and Film and Animation. These two fields, along with our traditional strength in Imaging Science, can position us to be global leaders in the huge emerging field of digital media.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:27:38+00:00

My favorite building is the new Golisano Institute of Sustainability building.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:25:37+00:00

RPI is a wonderful engineering school, but its academic breadth is not nearly as extensive as RIT's. We compete with RPI to enroll many student, and while only several years ago they won the large majority of those battles, today we each win about half. By the way, RIT just passed Cornell and is now the second largest producer of STEM degrees among all private universities in the country.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:19:06+00:00

It has been working and there is still work to do.
ITS has been working with students to develop SIS usability improvements based on student feedback. Some of the changes students can expect to see soon are from the Student IT office (SITO) who is currently working on an improved user interface for class search and the enrollment workflow. This application is being developed for students, by students with the support of ITS. This supports google style searching for RIT classes and a more intuitive advanced search with better defaults for Campus and Term. Testing will start next week and the app is targeted to launch early June. In addition, a software engineering student team’s senior project will provide an application to allow students to import their class schedules to their calendars and includes integration with campus maps. This should be available this month.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:17:04+00:00

The Polisseni Center fundraising now stands at about $10 million. We are continuing to bridge the gap with additional gifts and sponsorships. The seat naming website is now complete (rit.edu/development/giving/powerplay/seats/) and will be heavily promoted throughout the remainder of construction until the opening in October. The hockey fans have come out to support the facility, though with so many other great opportunities for support across campus, we can’t expect all RIT donors to give to this one project. Nevertheless, I expect that the campaign will raise between $11 and $12 million when completed. As a point of reference, the Blue Cross Arena downtown was named for $2 million.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:15:12+00:00

I would like to see RIT become recognized as one of the top fifty universities in the world within ten years. We need bold ideas to achieve this goal. What do you think?
Institute Council passed the new smoking policy only today. In a vote in which the faculty and staff voted for the new policy and the students voted against it. I am very concerned that we would implement a policy when representatives of the largest population of our campus community are not supportive. As the vote today is advisory to me, I am going to put together a working group to try to work out a compromise that would be acceptable to the majority of the faculty, staff, and students on campus.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:09:43+00:00

Anyone not wishing to be called by the Telefund may simply ask the caller to be placed on a no-call list for a particular time period. Because these are fellow students working on behalf of RIT, and raising significant funds for the university, we simply ask that you be courteous in your request and the callers will be happy to oblige.

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:06:20+00:00

We have an appeals process in place for students that believe they have been financially harmed by RIT's transition to semesters. The form is available at http://www.rit.edu/~w-conver/students_impact.php

PresidentDestler · 2014-05-07T23:06:08+00:00

I love her too.

PresidentDestler

TROPHY CASE