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RIT Main Timeline | College
of Applied Science and Technology | College
of Business
College of Engineering
| College of Imaging Arts
and Sciences | College
of Liberal Arts
College of Science |
College of Computing &
Information Sciences | National
Technical Institute for the Deaf
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Colonel
Nathaniel Rochester and other Rochester community leaders found the
Athenaeum, an association “for the purpose of cultivating and
promoting literature, science and the arts.” The Athenaeum was
located in the Reynolds
Arcade, and housed a meeting room and a small reading room with
a library, provided by Abelard Reynolds. The Rochester Athenaeum grew
into a popular cultural center for Rochesterians, offering public
lectures and debates, and building a substantial library. |
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The
Athenaeum merged with the Mechanics Literary Association, founded
in 1836 by William A. Reynolds (son of Abelard Reynolds), to form
the Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics Association. It continued the
tradition of public lectures, book reviews and debates. The libraries
of the two groups merged, and boasted a collection of 7000-8000 volumes
on a variety of subjects. Lectures
were held at Corinthian Hall, which could hold 1,100. Distinguished
speakers included Charles Dickens, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Oliver Wendell
Holmes, and Frederick Douglass. |
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Mechanics
Institute founded. Captain Henry Lomb, Max Lowenthal, Ezra Andrews,
Frank Ritter, William Peck, and other Rochester businessmen and
influential citizens start a school to provide needed technical
training for skilled workers in industry. Lomb was the first president
of the Board of Trustees and guided the direction of the institute
until his death in 1908. Eugene
Colby was appointed first teacher and principal of the Mechanics
Institute. All funds for running the school were donated by the
citizens of Rochester and instruction was free for the first year.
The first class at the newly formed Mechanics Institute
was mechanical
drawing, held in the evening November 23, 1885. The community
response is overwhelming, and 400 students enrolled in school. |
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Fine
Arts classes start. Included are freehand drawing, architectural
drawing, and design. |
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Tuition is $ 8 a term for drawing,
$12 for painting and modeling. Evening classes are free. |
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Rochester Athenaeum and Mechanics
Institute merge, bringing under one roof cultural education and practical
technical training. Enrollment reaches 1,000 students. |
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Cooking
classes begin March 1893. The course consisted of 26 lessons in
practical cookery. |
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Manual
Training Building is the first official building erected by
the Institute. It later became known as the Eastman Annex. The building
contained machine shops, classrooms,
and a lecture hall.
Manual Training Department created, with classes in
joinery and bench and later pattern making and forging. |
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Opening of the Eastman Building on
Plymouth Avenue and the Erie Canal Aqueduct. George
Eastman donated the funds for this building and was an active
benefactor of the Institute until his death in 1932. |
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School divided into 5 departments:
- Industrial Arts – Eugene Colby, Superintendent
- Mechanic Arts and Sciences – language,
mathematics, science, Roland Woodward, Superintendent
- Manual Training – 3 members of board
would supervise: James E. Gleason, Frank A. Brownell, Henry Lomb
- Domestic
Science and Art – Mary Bliss, Superintendent
- Department of Fine Arts – direction
of Bevier Memorial Committee: Adelbert Cronise, Dr. E.V. Stoddard,
Harold C. Kimball, Lewis P. Ross, Charles H. Wiltsie
3,000 students enrolled. |
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First
student publication The
Institute Breeze published. Cover design and drawings by students
in the Fine Arts Department. |
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First president Carleton
B. Gibson appointed. He served until 1916. |
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Cooperative
education program started by President Gibson. Students find positions
in industry and gain valuable practical work experience before they
graduate. At the time students worked in stores, factories, restaurants,
and hospital kitchens. Alumni association
formed. Group numbers 200 graduates of the institute.
Publication of Ramikin the student yearbook began. |
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James
F. Barker appointed President. He served until 1919. |
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Royal
B. Farnum appointed President. He served until 1921. |
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John
A. Randall appointed president. He served until 1936. |
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Four-year
cooperative retail
distribution program started. |
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course in industrial chemistry started.
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Department
of Photography founded. Frederick Brehm is Instructor.
He is later joined by C.B.
Neblette.
2,210 students enrolled. |
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Mark
Ellingson appointed President. He served until 1969. |
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Empire
state School of Printing, now the School of Print Media, acquired
through the efforts of Frank
Gannett. |
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Classes offered all day and
all night to train thousands for jobs in the defense industry.
4,565 students enrolled. |
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Institute’s Evening School
open to women
to assist in war effort.
Counseling Center established to provide personal
and career counseling to students. |
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Institute adopted the name Rochester
Institute of Technology. |
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Graphic Arts Research Center
established to “apply scientific and engineering principles
to the printing and publishing industry.” RIT is a center of
research on all aspects of the graphic
arts. School
for American Craftsmen, now called School for American
Crafts, founded by Mrs. Vanderbilt Webb, moved to RIT.
Student enrollment is 4,376.
First technical school to offer an associates
degree in Applied Science in New York State.
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Acquired the McKechnie-Lunger School
of Commerce in Rochester which later becomes the College of Business. |
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First Bachelor of Science degree awarded. |
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First masters degree awarded
(all Master of Fine Arts degrees). Student
enrollment 8,546.
Edwina Hogadone appointed first Dean of the College
of Business. Starting at RIT as teacher of salesmanship, personnel,
and merchandising in 1931, she is the first woman dean at RIT and
first woman in the nation named to head a college of business.
RIT is organized into six Colleges – The
College of Applied Science, College of Business, the College of
Fine and Applied Arts, the College of Graphic Arts and Photography,
College of General Studies (renamed Liberal Arts in 1968) and Evening
Studies.
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Institute
makes the decision to move from downtown Rochester to a new location
– land in Henrietta purchased and construction
begins in 1964. |
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College of Science is established. |
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First
Outstanding Teacher Award – to recognize and encourage excellence
in teaching at RIT In 1974 the name was changed to the Eisenhart
Awards for outstanding teaching. |
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RIT chosen as the home campus for
the federally sponsored National Technical Institute for the Deaf
which had been established in 1963 by Public Law 89-36 and signed
by President
Johnson. In a national report the institute’s long history
of technical education, co-op education, and emphasis on career preparation
were cited as the reasons for the choice. |
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Formation of the Nathaniel Rochester
Society, to formalize and encourage a closer relationship between
RIT and members of the community. |
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Move
to new campus in Henrietta. Dedication takes place Homecoming
Weekend October 1968. First freshman
class enters NTID.
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Dr.
Paul Miller appointed President. He served until 1979. |
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Enrollment at 10,941. |
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RIT offers graduate engineering
coursework via closed-circuit TV at local factories. College
of Engineering established. |
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Criminal
Justice program announced. Emphasis of program will be on prevention
and rehabilitation. School of Computer
Science and Technology started.
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NTID
complex is dedicated. |
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new B.S. in biomedical computing. |
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RIT
Distance Learning program created.
Dr.
Richard Rose appointed – RIT President 1979- 1992.
150th anniversary celebration and conclusion of the
150th Anniversary Fund capital campaign which topped the $42 million
goal. Entertainer Bob
Hope visits to RIT and joins the celebration.
Eisenhower College acquired by RIT.
RIT continues to expand with many new departments
and programs through the end of the seventies including the Dept.
of Packaging
Science, and Dept. of Instructional Technology. Newly offered
Master degrees in clinical chemistry, computer and information science,
and glass art expanded advanced degree offerings. New Bachelor of
Science programs in Biomedical communications and nuclear medicine
as well as an associate degree program in clinical technology were
also established. |
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Formation of the RIT Research
Corporation to provide opportunities for collaborative projects with
industry and government in imaging and information processing.
Enrollment at 15,704 (Includes Eisenhower College).
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RIT
installs a campus-wide
computer network with 300 “intelligent” terminals.
Microelectronic Engineering program begins.
First undergraduate program in the field in the U.S.
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Program in Biotechnology begins. |
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Center for Microelectronic
and Computer Engineering dedicated . Facility to serve as a center
for undergraduate education and research in the design and fabrication
of integrated circuits. |
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Rochester Athenaeum
founded to provide educational and enrichment programs for individuals
over 50. |
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International Center of Hearing
and Speech Research opened to conduct research on the prevention,
early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of people with hearing loss.
Program in telecommunications engineering
technology started. It was the first bachelor of science program
in the United States accredited by the Technology Accreditation
Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
(TAC-ABET) in telecommunications engineering technology.
Chester
F. Carlson Center for Imaging Science dedicated. The building
houses the new program in imaging science.
Bausch & Lomb Center dedicated. Bausch & Lomb
provided funding for the building as part of RIT’s Access
to the Future capital campaign.
RIT sponsors the United States Business School
in Prague, with a program leading to an M.B.A degree, for students
in the Czech Republic and other Central and Eastern European countries.
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Enrollment at 13,195.
Imaging Science Ph.D. Program begins. First
PhD. program at RIT and first such program in the U.S.
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RIT offers full degree programs
on-line. Hale-Andrews Student Life Center
completed.
Commission on Cultural Diversity (now called
the Commission for Promoting Pluralism) established. The goals of
the commission include articulating an institutional commitment
to a pluralistic campus environment and promoting diversity as an
institutional value.
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Eighth
President, Albert
Simone appointed. B.S. in Information
Technology program started. The training emphasizes understanding
technology from the point of view of the user.
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Creation of Women’s Resource
Center. |
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Margaret’s House dedicated,
an expanded child care center serving members of the RIT community.
Al
Davis, vice president emeritus and long-time supporter of RIT
gave the funds in memory of his wife Margaret Welcher Davis. |
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Undergraduate program in software
engineering established, the first in the U.S. College
of Engineering announces the Kate Gleason Scholarship for women.
Kate Gleason donated $ 300,000 to the Institute in 1933, and the
family has continued to generously support RIT until the present,
including a very large gift from James and Janis Gleason on behalf
of the Gleason Foundation in 1998 to support College of Engineering
programs.
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The Center
for Integrated Manufacturing Studies, created with $ 20.75 million
in Federal and State funding, opens with a mission to increase the
competitiveness of manufacturers through technology solutions and
training. The American College of Management
and Technology opened in Dubrovnik, Republic of Croatia, a collaborative
effort between RIT College of Applied Science and Technology and
Velecillste Dubovnikú, the Polytechnic
of Dubrovnik.
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College of Engineering named
for Kate
Gleason. Announcement of First in Class,
an initiative to invest in areas of strength that will result in
RIT “being the university of choice” through partnerships
with industry and government.
Dedication of the Center for Excellence in Mathematics,
Science and Technology built with funds raised to meet a challenge
gift established by Thomas
Gosnell. This major addition to the College of Science features
the Bruce and Nora
James Atrium with its polished granite floor by artist Larry
Kirkland, etched with symbols representing milestones in the history
of science.
Fiber optic cable network installed in all academic
buildings on campus providing campus Ethernet connection.
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Enrollment at 14,642. |
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B.
Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences
formed with programs in Computer Science, Information Technology,
Software Engineering. Joseph F. and Helen
C. Dyer Arts Center opens. The gallery hosts traveling exhibits
and features NTID's permanent collection of works by deaf, hard-of-hearing,
and hearing artists.
New M.S. program in communication and media technology,
an interdisciplinary program in the social sciences, humanities
and applied technologies. Builds on RIT strengths in liberal arts,
digital media and publishing, information technology, and e-business.
RIT designated as a New York State Strategically Targeted
Academic Research (STAR) Center as part of a state initiative to
promote high technology businesses in New York.
IT Collaboratory formed, a state funded joint project
with University of Buffalo and Alfred University. The center will
focus on four areas of research: microsystems, photonic systems,
remote systems, and high-bandwidth telecom networks. It will also
investigate new technologies not yet in use, serve as a test bed
for new-product development and product enhancement, and take part
in collaborative research with industry as well as provide training
programs contributing to economic development in Western New York. |
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A web-based course management
system, myCourses offered. Instructors can post information and files
for a course to the class website, as well as utilize e-mail lists,
discussion boards and live chat rooms.
New B.S. and M.S. program in Bioinformatics
that merges biotechnology and information technology. RIT
opened the North Star Center for Academic Success and Cultural Affairs.
The center serves as a source of guidance for the recruitment, retention
and graduation of RIT’s AALANA student population.
Ph.D. program in microsystems engineering started,
the first in the country, and part of the Kate Gleason College of
Engineering.
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New Master’s of Science
in Telecommunication Engineering Technology offered. RIT
Sports Zone debuted on ESPN2. The student-produced program highlights
athletics at RIT with individual profiles and in-depth features.
Heidelberg
Bruckmaschinen AG installs its most advanced commercial web
press, called "Sunday 2000," on campus in the newly dedicated
Heidelberg Web Press Laboratory. The press will be used for research
and education in RIT School of Print Media.
The
Sentinel, a 70 foot 110 ton steel sculpture by Albert Paley
dedicated. The sculpture is located in a central location on campus,
to serve as focal point at the main entrance of the campus.
The College of Applied Science and Technology
established a new program in Kosovo in collaboration with the American
University Foundation in Kosovo. Students pursue coursework in various
subjects, including service management, business development, economics,
and marketing.
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