Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has announced that IDSA Fellow Lorraine Justice, PhD, has stepped down as dean of its College of Imaging Arts and Sciences (CIAS) because of health reasons, effective March 31, 2017. “Under her tenure as dean, the college has seen remarkable success in growing the reputation of its programs such as film and animation, industrial design and photography,” says Jeremy Haefner, RIT provost and senior vice president for academic affairs.
He adds that Justice will be on leave for the next academic year and plans to return to the faculty in 2018–19. He has appointed Senior Associate Dean Robin Cass as acting dean of CIAS through the end of this academic year. Haefner is searching for an interim dean who will serve during the academic years 2017-2019, and possibly beyond.
Justice joined RIT as dean in 2011. She was named among 50 Notable IDSA Members by INNOVATION magazine as IDSA marked its 50th year in 2015. In 2008, she was honored with IDSA’s Educator Award. Justice also served as president of the Design Foundation. “Lorraine’s many IDSA friends and colleagues wish her a full and quick recovery. Her dedication to IDSA, design education and the industrial design profession overall, have been extensive and we look forward to her further contributions,” says IDSA Executive Director Daniel Martinage, CAE.
In 2006, ID magazine named Justice one of the world’s top 40 influential designers. Justice took the stage at TED University in 2015. She serves on editorial boards of six journals and is an international consultant and accreditation expert on design. Justice previously served as director of the School of Design at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University; led the ID program at Georgia Tech; and served as professor of visual communication at Ohio State University. She earned her BFA from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania—and a master’s degree in design and a PhD in communications from Ohio State.
See more in RIT News.