William Sanders, dean of Carnegie Mellon's College of Engineering, has been named RIT's next president.
ROCHESTER, N.Y., Jan. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- William H. Sanders has been named Rochester Institute of Technology's 11th president. The current dean of Carnegie Mellon University's College of Engineering was introduced to the RIT community on Jan. 28.
The RIT Board of Trustees selected Sanders from a national pool of candidates. He will assume RIT's top post July 1, succeeding David Munson who will retire after serving eight years as RIT's president.
Sanders will lead one of the nation's leading research universities that enrolls more than 21,300 students in more than 200 career-oriented and professional programs. With 150,000 alumni worldwide, RIT is internationally recognized and ranked for its leadership in technology, the arts, and design.
"It is clear to me that Rochester Institute of Technology is a very special place," said Sanders. "RIT has taken a unique approach on its path to excellence, working at the intersection of technology, the arts, and design. RIT's acceleration in excellence has been due to charting its own way—being strategic in picking the intellectual areas that it focuses on and creating an identity that does not seek to replicate what others are doing."
Sanders added: "The entire RIT family should be proud of what they have created—a university that is relentlessly forward looking. This is RIT's time."
A 25-member search committee composed of students, faculty, staff, alumni, administration, and trustees narrowed the pool of candidates before the final selection by the Board of Trustees.
"Dr. Sanders has been instrumental in advancing Carnegie Mellon's reputation as a leader in transformative education and interdisciplinary and impactful research with an eye on doing good around the world," said Susan Puglia, chair of the RIT Board of Trustees who also oversaw the Search Committee. "Bill is the right leader at the right time to take the baton from President Munson and continue the acceleration of our university's amazing trajectory. He demonstrates a deep understanding of and appreciation for RIT and its history. Bill also articulates a compelling vision for RIT that will continue to drive RIT forward as a distinguished university both nationally and globally. This is an exciting time for RIT."
Sanders is the current Dr. William D. and Nancy W. Strecker Dean of the College of Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He joined Carnegie Mellon in 2020 and led the creation of a new strategic plan to further position its renowned College of Engineering as a research powerhouse to address societal challenges with global reach. Prior to his time at Carnegie Mellon, he spent 25 years as a tenured professor and held the Herman M. Dieckamp Endowed Chair in Engineering at the University of Illinois, where he also held several leadership positions.
Sanders' research interests include secure, dependable, and resilient computing systems with a focus on critical infrastructures. He has directed work at the forefront of national efforts to make the U.S. power grid smart and resilient. His significant scholarly record includes publishing more than 300 technical papers in this field.
A recognized leader in his field, Sanders was elected to the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) in 2023, one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer, for his contributions to cybersecurity and resiliency technologies for critical infrastructures.
Sanders is also an elected fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), and the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Among many honors, he was the 2016 recipient of the IEEE Technical Field Award, Innovation in Societal Infrastructure, for "assessment-driven design of trustworthy cyber infrastructures for societal-scale systems."
This record of accomplishments drew praise from the Board of Trustees, Puglia, and Munson, who will retire June 30 after serving more than 40 years in higher education.
"On behalf of RIT and the Greater Rochester-Finger Lakes region, I welcome Bill Sanders and his wife, Emily, to our community," said Munson. "Bill and I were faculty colleagues at the University of Illinois. I have watched Bill's career soar to impressive heights—from a pioneering researcher and successful entrepreneur to a collaborative and strategic leader. I am thrilled to have Bill as my successor because his appointment ensures that the future of RIT is secure, and the university's upward trajectory will continue."
To learn more: Read more about William Sanders' credentials and the search process.
Media Contact
Carl Langsenkamp, www.rit.edu, 5852618632, [email protected]
SOURCE Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT)
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