RIT’s Board of Trustees hosted the “West Coast Board Meeting” in Palo Alto, California this summer from July 9 to July 11. Approximately 60 trustees, administrators, and deans met with 22 companies located in the Silicon Valley, Los Angeles, and Seattle.

According to the Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Lisa Cauda, one of the purposes of the meeting was to learn about “current and future technological trends that are important to RIT.” As a result, RIT leadership now has a better grasp on the technologies with which current students will work and aid in developing after graduation.

No less important was the meeting’s strengthening effect on RIT’s relationships with the companies present, granting current students increased access to these companies for cooperative education and work after graduation.

“We visited companies that RIT has — or could have — partnerships with to discuss how we can better prepare our students for the work force,” said Student Government President Ed Wolf, who was present at the meetings. Nearly 4000 RIT alumni live and work in California, which could provide students with additional networking opportunities.

Cauda was instrumental in coordinating the meetings with the array of corporations and organizations. They included software giants such as Oracle, Adobe, Apple, and Microsoft. The list also featured companies like Boeing and Avery Dennison, and research facilities like the NASA Climate Change Lab and Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center.

Wolf summarized the board meeting by saying, “As a result of this trip, RIT will be making significant changes to the university in the years to come.”