Dr. Ronald Francis was a member of the faculty in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences for 17 years, until his death in 1986. During that time he served thousands of students with great ability, care, and effectiveness. His contributions to his students as an educator, to RIT as an administrator, and to the photographic industry as a consultant, have been widely recognized. The Dr. Ronald Francis Scholarship Fund was created by a generous gift from his mother, Mrs. Mabel Francis, prior to her death in 1992. Her desire was to perpetuate through the students at RIT the principles and values that characterized her son throughout his life. Among those qualities were the following:

First and foremost, Dr. Francis was dedicated to his students. He believed that there was no more important job in the world than educating the next generation. He wanted to share as much of what he had learned in his life as he could. Certainly this included his specialty in photographic chemistry but perhaps more importantly, his belief in honesty, attention to detail and plain old hard work as a formula for success. He loved teaching. He was available virtually any day and hour of the week to the students. Dr. Francis was dedicated to his students and their success in life.

Dr. Francis was continuously in pursuit of excellence in everything he did. Whether it was his role as teacher, consultant or administrator, he always set high standards and demanded that they be met. This sometimes created conflict with others, but he believed that great accomplishments were seldom the result of compromised standards. He never set standards of excellence higher than those he set for himself. The continuous improvement of one's self through learning and researching leading to the attainment of excellence in scholarship was of great importance to him. He demanded a great deal from everyone but yet always gave a great deal of himself to others.

Dr. Francis was an individual of great personal integrity, honesty, and intensity. He held himself, his peers, and his students accountable to high standards and fearlessly fought against any actions he felt would compromise those standards. Many people disagreed with some of his actions, but no one ever doubted his sincerity or was unclear on what he believed. His tenacity in staying with his values and standards were a hallmark of his life at RIT. However, this strong sense of personal integrity and commitment to personal values never stopped Dr. Francis from learning and enjoying his life. He loved to meet with his students socially. They were his family. All of his work efforts and most of his leisure time were spent on them. In the years prior to his death, his health was fragile and limited his activities. For as much as he had to be discouraged about, he never gave up. He never quit.

Thus, consistent with the intentions of his mother, the objective of the Dr. Ronald Francis Scholarship Fund is to honor those students who demonstrate a commitment to excellence in scholarship and display the same dedication, tenacity, and character that were typical of her son.

To recognize the academic success and career goals of Imaging and Photographic Technology students through the award of a monetary stipend. The committee will seek to identify those students who through their accomplishments to date have demonstrated a potential for noteworthy contributions to the imaging profession, and have demonstrated a serious commitment to their academic studies.

Students who are enrolled full-time (12 qtr. credits, or on co-op) in the Imaging and Photographic Technology department of the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences and who carry a 3.0 cumulative Grade Point Average are eligible for consideration. In addition, the GPA in the students' Principal Field of Study will be considered as well. A review of these GPAs and the transcript record of each candidate will allow for an in-depth review of the degree of difficulty of the candidate's elected course of study. Previous awards of this scholarship do not mean that the scholarship will automatically be renewed.

Note: You must remain a matriculated student in the IPT program for at least two quarters following the scholarship award or you forfeit the award. Again, this is an annual, competitive, scholarship.

Students must provide all necessary information to the selection committee through the chair of the Imaging and Photographic Technology department. This documentation must include: (a) a current resume; (b) all transcripts; (c) a personal narrative; (d) course reports, laboratory reports, senior project proposal or other forms of technical writing or research reports. Each applicant is expected to provide a narrative illustrating those accomplishments that underscore the personal characteristics of dedication, tenacity, diligence and commitment to the principles of rigorous investigation, scientific understanding, and rational explanation. Additional documentation of work experience, volunteer efforts, community service or other experiences illustrating the candidate's character and accomplishments would also assist the selection committee.

Also, documentation supporting a student's application for these scholarships, such as instructor, employer or supervisor recommendations, may also be included with the application materials. Creativity and completeness in preparing the application package are encouraged.

Incoming freshmen will be selected at the discretion of the RIT Finacial Aid division.

Candidates will be considered without regard to gender, race, religion, ethnic origin or sexual preference. Financial need will be considered only to achieve a decision in the event of a deadlock between or among candidates. Fourteen $5,000 scholarships are planned for distribution in each academic year. These 14 scholarships will be targeted for distribution as follows: For students who in the Fall of 2001/2002 will be 1st year students - four awards; 2nd year students - four awards; 3rd year students - three awards; fourth year students - three awards.

NOTE: The Committee reserves the privilege of modifying this distribution target. The number and amount of the scholarships awarded each year will be determined in part by the amount of spendable interest generated by the endowment fund. The Committee's decisions are final.

The committee will be comprised of: The chair of the IPT department, who will also act as chair of the selection committee; a member of the IPT department to be elected by the faculty of the department on a yearly basis; two-three persons from outside RIT who are members of the professional imaging and photographic science/technology community. These members will be determined by the IPT chair with the advice and consent of the faculty. In addition, the head of Student Services and a financial aid officer will assist the committee in a non-voting capacity.

Current students meeting the eligibility requirements who wish consideration must submit all materials by noon on the 10th day of classes of the third quarter. The candidates' portfolios will be forwarded to the selection committee by the third week of March. During the third week of April the committee will convene to deliberate the awards. It is planned to announce the recipients of the Dr. Ronald Francis Scholarship no later than the last day of the third quarter but the actual announcement day will be contingent on Committee deliberations. An awards presentation ceremony may be held for the recipients' parents, faculty, selection committee and invited guests during the following fall quarter Parents' Weekend.

MATERIALS TO CHAIR OF IPT: 10th day of classes of 3rd quarter
COMMITTEE CONVENES: April 19, 2002
ANNOUNCEMENT MADE NO LATER THAN: May 25, 2002
SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED: Sept. 1, 2002 (not any earlier)