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 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.
- (Posted March 11, 2009) - Do you have summer school at NTID or RIT?
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
A: Yes, RIT and NTID offer a limited number of courses during summer quarter, from June 1 through August 15. Check with our Admissions Department for more information.
- (Posted Feb. 20, 2009) My son is a sophomore in high school. He is profoundly deaf. He wants to apply to NTID. He also wants to obtain a degree in Engineering at RIT. Will he need to apply to two colleges? Will he need to take both the ACT and SAT? Will he pay NTID tuition or RIT?
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
A: We offer two types of engineering programs at RIT – theory based engineering and engineering technology. Further information can be found on this Web site.
All students – hearing, deaf or hard of hearing - use the RIT application. Students who want support services (and reduced tuition) through NTID should check the appropriate box. Students also apply to the major they want – in your case, Engineering. The application is reviewed the same as every other student interested in RIT’s Engineering program. Everything in the application process is the same for anyone applying to RIT, except that you should also send an audiogram to document that your son is eligible for the tuition reduction. Because NTID is primarily federally funded, students at NTID or receiving support services through NTID at other colleges of RIT receive significant tuition reductions – they pay approximately one-third the tuition that hearing students pay at RIT.
We accept either the SAT or ACT. You can decide which test to take. The SAT measures future learning potential and the ACT measures what students should have mastered in high school. Your son’s guidance counselor could determine which would be the most appropriate test for your son to take.
I applaud you for your research about what academic programs and services we offer.
Your son may also be interested in our Explore Your Future program. He would spend a week in the summer in a dorm here at NTID with other high school sophomores and juniors from across the country. They get a taste of college life while dabbling in art, technology, engineering and business projects to see what their interests are and what careers they may be best suited for.
- (Posted Feb. 12, 2009) Did cochlear implants improve the average reading level of deaf persons?
See Alan's answer
Alan's response: A cochlear implant is likely to affect reading levels much more when obtained at very young ages than at high school or college age. But we don't have any comparative data of differences or similarities of reading skills between deaf students with or without implants.
- (Posted Jan. 30, 2009) My name is Chantaye and I am using my teacher’s email address. I am currently in high school and expect to graduate in 3 years. Do the dorms have fire alarms and alarm clocks for the deaf?
See Alan's answer
Alan's response:
If a student identifies himself or herself as deaf or hard of hearing on their housing application, they are assigned to a room that is equipped with a strobe light fire alarm. There is a monthly fire drill that is coordinated with Public Safety, Environmental Health and Safety and Residence Life staffs. RIT doesn’t provide alarm clocks; students normally bring their own. Thank you for your question Chantaye!