The Rochester Institute of Technology's (RIT) Task Force on the 80s was initiated in September 1977 by Paul A. Miller, president of the university. A team was formed with the primary task of drafting a plan for "RIT's response to the environment of the 80s." RIT had grown rapidly over the previous few years, a fact that was attributed to its unique approach to higher education. The university administration surveyed 250 members of the RIT community to determine the two most important issues facing the Institute as it moved into the next decade. From these results, two topics of study were selected: the nature and scope of the Institute's academic program and the quality of student life at RIT. The Academic Programs Issue Team was led by Barbara Hodik and Joseph Lippert and the Quality of Student Life Issue Team was led by Thomas Plough and Joanne Subtelny. Rather than participate in the typical self-study procedure required by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools' reaccreditation process, RIT decided to use each topic as a case study. Starting January 5, 1978, a two-day workshop was held to help develop the two issues. The following three areas were selected for each topic: Academic Programs: the nature of General Education in a technical/professional institution, the enhancement of professional experiences between academic areas, and the process of academic program development and review; Quality of Student Life: the nature of residence experiences and the quality of mentorship available to students; the quality and delivery of support services. The findings of each committee were published as a report and submitted to the university's administration.
From the description of Task Force on the 80s records 1977-1979 (RIT Library). WorldCat record id: 757516176
