A new president at RIT
For all our loyal blog readers at the Tiger Beat, we wanted you to be among the first to know about RIT’s new president. Here is a memo from Board Chairman Michael Morley that just went out to the RIT community.
TO: RIT Community
FROM: Michael P. Morley, Chairman of the Board of Trustees
SUBJECT: William Destler Named RIT’s Ninth President
March 5, 2007
I am pleased to announce William W. Destler as Rochester Institute of Technology’s ninth president. The RIT Board of Trustees made the decision at a special session, selecting the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost of the University of Maryland.
Dr. Destler will assume RIT’s top post July 1, succeeding Dr. Albert J. Simone, RIT’s president since 1992.
We are proud to welcome Dr. Destler to RIT as our next President. His breadth of experience, understanding of academia, and his sense of vision for the future will help propel our University to new heights. The entire RIT community is looking forward to his arrival. There is a great opportunity to build from the strong position we enjoy from Dr. Al Simone’s 15 years as our President. Bill Destler, with support from all of us at RIT, will lead the University to a new level of prominence in higher education while maintaining our core values.
I would also like to applaud the work of the 21-member Presidential Search Committee, led by Trustee Donald Boyce. Thank you for your hard work and dedication dating back to last summer.
Since starting my job at RIT last summer, I have been nothing but impressed with the culture of integrity at the Institute. I have watched college presidents change the values of institutions out of fear or greed, and I hoped that RIT's board of trustees would value vision, student learning and diversity in its search. All evidence points to Dr. Destler's belief in the potential of RIT and his abilities as a transformative leader. I sense optimism from colleagues around campus about the direction of our wonderful Institute and I look forward to seeing the progress of Dr. Simone continue. Bravo, RIT!