National Technical Institute for the Deaf

A one-of-a-kind, state-of-the-art facility, designed to foster innovation, entrepreneurship and original research among deaf and hard-of-hearing students and their hearing peers.

A grant of $1.75 million is being made to RIT/NTID to help construct  a new building devoted to research. The gift - which includes a matching funds challenge of  $250,000 - is from the Chicago-based  William G. McGowan Charitable Fund, and will be the lead investment in what will be known as Sebastian and Lenore Rosica Hall.

About Sebastian and Lenore Rosica

The Rosicas, from Buffalo, N.Y., were life-long advocates for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. Lenore Rosica was the sister of William G. McGowan, CEO of MCI Communications Corporation, and worked as a speech pathologist. Her husband, Sebastian, worked as an audiologist for 40 years at St. Mary's School for the Deaf, and was a trustee of the McGowan Charitable Fund.

Sebastian and Lenore Rosica Hall is a first-of-its-kind facility that will specifically engage deaf and hard-of-hearing students and their hearing peers, along with faculty and corporate partners, in the innovation process.

Projects taking place within Sebastian and Lenore Rosica Hall will be diverse in size, scope and focus, and will include deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing students as full project partners, sharing in major responsibilities and making meaningful contributions toward a project’s successful completion. Through their role as integral members of project teams, these students will develop the leadership, teamwork and communication skills needed to propel their future career success. Their experiences will inspire them to pursue new business ventures, original research and develop new technologies and services.

Sebastian and Lenore Rosica Hall will be designed with maximum flexibility to house a variety of innovative projects, including those related to:

• health care technologies and services;
• development and adaptation of access and instructional technologies; and
• innovative cross-disciplinary projects involving science- , engineering- , imaging- , and business-related fields.

Through the creation of Sebastian and Lenore Rosica Hall and the projects it will house, NTID and the many talented students enrolled here will reinforce America’s greatest competitive advantages — creativity, innovation and invention. 

Sebastian and Lenore Rosica Hall will unlock the potential of ambitious young men and women – deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing alike – allowing them to reach their full academic potential and achieve new levels of career success.

Matching Funds Challenge

As part of the grant, the William G. McGowan Charitable Fund has issued a matching funds challenge of $250,000 for Sebastian and Lenore Rosica Hall. Gifts in any amount will help meet this challenge and strengthen opportunities for deaf, hard-of-hearing and hearing students alike to become the inventors, business owners and researchers of tomorrow.

Gifts of $1,000 or more will be recognized on a one-of-a-kind "Window of Supporters" (see rendering at right) created by RIT/NTID alumna and stained-glass artist Jackie Schertz, a member of NTID's American Sign Language and Interpreting Education Department, and can be made through monthly electronic funds transfer (EFT) automatically from your checking or savings account.