NTID President Gerard Buckley has announced his intention to step down in the summer of 2025, after leading the National Technical Institute for the Deaf for 15 years.
Buckley, according to a news release from RIT/NTID, made history as the first RIT/NTID alumnus to become president of the college.
He graduated from RIT/NTID in 1978 and then joined NTID in 1990 as an assistant professor and chairperson of the college’s Department of Educational Outreach.
Buckley served in some other roles at NTID before being named president in 2011.
In a statement released on Tuesday, Buckley said, “Fifty years ago, I entered RIT/NTID as a freshman student, and this college profoundly changed my life.”
“Throughout his career, Gerry has been a fierce advocate for students, while dedicating his professional life to improving opportunities for members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing community,” said RIT President David Munson.
RIT officials said that as NTID president, Buckley strengthened and steadily increased Congressional support for the college and its mission. He also helped establish a STEM Center at NTID, as well as the Deaf Health Care and Biomedical Science Hub.
RIT’s statement said that hub, along with expanded partnerships with University of Rochester Medical Center and Rochester Regional Health, were designed to increase deaf representation in health care and scientific fields.
RIT will launch a national search for the next president of NTID.
This story was produced by WXXI’s Inclusion Desk, focusing on disabilities and inclusion.
