Got a question for Dr. Hurwitz?
NTID is pleased to offer an online question-and-answer connection with Dr. T. Alan Hurwitz, NTID President and RIT Vice President and Dean. Use the form below to send Dr. Hurwitz a question. Once a week, a question will be selected for the President to respond to on this web page. Whether you're a prospective student, current student, alumnus, parent, or friend of the institute, Dr. Hurwitz looks forward to reading and responding to your questions!
Don't forget, you can always go directly to the source with your questions for a more immediate response. For example:
- Prospective students and parents with questions about tuition, visiting, and applying to NTID can contact the Office of Admissions.
- Alumni with questions about upcoming events and reunions can contact the NTID Alumni Relations Office.
- Current students with immediate concerns should contact the appropriate department, such as Housing Operations, the Registrar, or Food Service. See a complete list of RIT departments
Recently answered questions:
- (Posted Oct. 29, 2009) Congratulations on being named the next president of Gallaudet University! What is the relationship between Gallaudet and NTID going to be like?
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
Thank you. It is an extreme honor to have been selected to lead Gallaudet. I consider it a call to service. Yet I will miss the students, faculty and staff here at RIT/NTID, where I have been nearly 40 years. Gallaudet and NTID have similar goals, but I do not view them as being in competition with one another. RIT/NTID and Gallaudet have different programs to offer its students. Both universities have decades of experience teaching deaf and hard-of-hearing students. Gallaudet is a stand-alone, liberal arts college. NTID is a college of RIT and has more technical courses offered with thousands of hearing students on the same campus. I encourage any prospective student to visit a campus they are considering to help them make up their mind.
Additionally, I believe Gallaudet and RIT/NTID have potential to work closer together to achieve common goals. There is opportunity for research and innovation. Our funding streams are similar. I think we can work more effectively with more collaboration in the years to come. But there’s nothing wrong with having a friendly rivalry by showing school spirit!
- (Posted Oct. 12, 2009) Does RIT/NTID have sport scholarships? What would I have to do to be able to get one? For example, I wrestle. Would I have to win the states?
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
RIT/NTID does not currently offer sports scholarships for our students. However participating in sports is a wonderful thing to add to your resume or college application. We have more than 20 deaf or hard-of-hearing students playing various varsity sports for RIT teams. I would encourage you to try out for the RIT Tigers wrestling team. While we don’t offer sports scholarships, many of our students qualify for other types of scholarships based on merit and the strength of academic performance in high school. Additional financial aid may be found through your vocational rehabilitation counselor. If you are able to tour RIT/NTID, I would encourage you to pay us a visit. We would be happy to show you the campus and the numerous sports facilities available for our students.
- (Posted Sept. 22, 2009) I understand you were in China recently. What did you do there?
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
I was in Changchun with Jim DeCaro and Bill Clymer (from PEN-International) to participate in an international conference sponsored by PEN-China. The conference was attended by 20 universities from nine PEN-International partner countries. My role was to deliver an opening speech and welcome the participants to the conference. I also attended each partner’s presentation and networked with them about opportunities for future collaboration with RIT/NTID.
After China, I visited Edinburgh, Scotland and signed a formal Memorandum of Understanding with the University of Edinburgh. This should allow opportunities for collaborative research, faculty exchanges and student internships.
From there, I flew to Amsterdam for a similar agreement with a university in Ulbrecht.
During this trip, I visited schools for the deaf, made new contacts and strengthened existing friendships. It was a wonderful, productive trip!
- (Posted July 9, 2009) I am interested in the ASLIE program. I am not deaf or hard of hearing. Is the tuition posted on the site only for deaf and hard-of-hearing students, or is the 1/3 tuition intended for anyone in the program? Thank you so much for your time!
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
Thank you for your interest in our American Sign Language and Interpreting Education program!
Unfortunately the program is full for the fall of 2009. We are currently accepting applications for the fall of 2010. The deadline for the ASLIE program is Feb. 1, 2010.
When you study in the ASLIE program, you receive substantially reduced tuition rates. Because NTID is federally supported, NTID students - including those in the ASLIE program - pay about one-third of the tuition that students in other RIT programs must pay.
You do not need to know ASL before applying. While we encourage students to develop their ASL skills prior to applying to the program, knowledge of ASL is not required for entry into the bachelor's degree program. The bachelor's degree curriculum is designed to allow students without prior knowledge of ASL to complete their degree in four years.
Be sure to visit the ASLIE Web site.
- (Posted May 21, 2009) Do you have any intensive summer programs for interpreters for developing their ASL interpreting skill? I live in Georgia and I am looking to increase my ASL skill this summer. Thank you.
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
Not at this time. There are summer programs for interpreting students who are currently enrolled in our American Sign Language and Interpreting Education (ASLIE) program. Feel free to check the ASLIE Web site to see if any options will be offered in the future.
- (Posted May 15, 2009) I’m a former student at NTID way back in the 90's. My question is, who should I contact for getting sealed transcripts to send to a community college where I’d like to take some classes?
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
Requests for academic transcripts are made through RIT’s Office of the Registrar in person or by mail or FAX.
Forms are available on line.
Requests for records must be made in writing (letter or FAX) with your name, former name, student ID number, dates you attended RIT, the number of transcripts needed and the addresses where they should be mailed, and you must include your signature.
You can reach the office by phone at (585) 475-2821 or by e-mail at 605ASK@rit.edu. The FAX number is (585) 475-7540. Mail requests may be sent to: RIT Office of the Registrar, George Eastman Building, 27 Lomb Memorial Drive, Rochester, NY 14623-5603. It may take up to a week to process your request.
- (Posted May 8, 2009) Does NTID offer some kind of deaf-related major such as Deaf Linguistics, Deaf Histoy or Deaf Studies or something like that?
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
NTID currently offers two Deaf-related majors. We have 145 students in our Interpreter Education programs in the AAS/BS degree program. And there are 60 students (50 percent hearing, 50 percent deaf) in our Master of Science Program in Secondary Education of Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing leading to dual certifications: Deaf Education and a content major (such as Math, Science, Language and Literature or Social Studies). Students may elect to major in ASL and Deaf Studies in the MSSE program.
Additionally, we offer a certificate program in Deaf Studies for students as a minor, for students who major in other technology programs leading to AAS or BS degrees. And the College of Liberal Arts at RIT offers ASL and Deaf Studies courses for hearing and Deaf students.
A new minor in ASL Studies is underway and will soon be approved.
- (Posted April 14, 2009) I am considering transferring to NTID. My questions are: Does NTID offer Special Education as a major? Do you have some pictures or videos of NTID dorms? How will I know who will be my roomie? Will they allow me to pick my roomie? I want to know about that situation.
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
NTID offers a Master of Science Program in Secondary Education of Students who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (MSSE). Only students who have an undergraduate degree can enter the master’s program. You have several options for those degrees (Biology or Math for example) that would give you the skills to allow you to become a teacher. The MSSE program would then strengthen your area of specialization by helping you develop skills for teaching deaf and hard-of-hearing students, preparing you for teaching positions with all the required educational credentials and licenses to teach in high school classrooms nationwide.
To give you a feel of our campus, a nice selection of RIT photos may be found on our Web site. Click on "campus" and you will see photos of RIT's dormitory building as well as on-campus apartment complexes. There are many different room layouts and building designs.When a student is accepted to RIT, you will be assigned a roommate sometime in the summer. RIT Housing aims to match students with a roommate of comparable profile, interests and communication preferences. If you want a specific roommate, both you and your roommate need to request each other on the RIT Housing form. We do our best to honor special roommate requests, provided circumstances make that possible.
Our Admissions office is ready to help you and can discuss the application requirements as a transfer student.
- (Posted April 8, 2009) Hello. I'm hard of hearing and I graduate from high school this year and plan to apply to your college in a couple of years after I go to a community college. I want to become a teacher for the deaf and I want to know if my credits can be transferred to the next college I want to go to? I would come to RIT/NTID and get my bachelors and then come back to Oregon to get my master’s degree. Am I able to transfer my credits to the next school I want to go to after I get my bachelor’s?
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
Thank you for expressing interest in our university! We’d be more than happy to work with you throughout the application process! To answer your questions:
Yes, you could transfer to RIT and obtain your bachelor’s degree in a different field. While here at RIT, you could make the decision to stay for your master’s degree or return to Oregon and continue your higher education there. Once you earn your BS degree with the required credits and GPA and have successfully interviewed with the MSSE Department Chairperson and met other requirements, you will be guaranteed admission to the MSSE program.
It is difficult to answer your question about transfer credits as it depends on what major you are currently enrolled in. If you’d like, you could send your transcript to NTID Admissions and they could conduct an informal evaluation to provide you a better idea of what credits would transfer. The first thing you need to do at this point is decide exactly what you’d like to do and where you’d like to go. If you’d like, you can check out our MSSE Web site. You may also contact Lauren.Bain@rit.edu in Admissions with further questions - she’d be more than happy to start a dialogue about your education.
- (Posted March 26, 2009) Hello from England!
I am profoundly Deaf since birth and brought up by my Deaf parents. I achieved Higher National Diploma in Computer (1987) Certificate in Education (Post-Compulsory) (1996) and Master of Arts in Social Enterprise (2006). I am just curious if I can apply for a lecturer job in the future if the post is suitable to me - or am I not allowed because I hold British passport. I am aware that universities welcome all nationalities so I wonder what NTID has to offer?
Thank you for your attention.
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
Hello from New York!
You are certainly free to apply to any job offering posted through the RIT Career Zone. We review applications for each job and strive to hire the best applicants. We have hired exceptional candidates who were non-U.S. citizens in the past. Non-citizens must of course follow immigration laws and have H-1B visas. Normally visas are good for three years, and that may be extended for another three years. After that, a green card or citizenship is required.
Good luck and thank you for your interest in RIT/NTID.