Reno M. Antonietti papers

Reno M. Antonietti graduated from the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) with his A.A.S. in Mechanical Engineering in 1958. While at the university, Antonietti was a member of the RIT tennis team, belonged to the Mechanical Students' Association, and was actively involved in the Theta Gamma (now Phi Sigma Kappa) fraternity. After serving in the U.S. Army for two years, he returned to RIT in 1964, where he earned his B.S. in Industrial and Personnel Management in 1968, and then attended the State University of New York at Geneseo and earned his M.S. in Library Science in 1971. He married Janet Ruth Harrison in June 1965.

Antonietti started his career at RIT in 1974 as the Coordinator of Audiovisual Services on campus. In 1982, he was named Assistant Vice President for Academic Services and was promoted to Associate Vice President for Academic Services and Computing in 1984. In this position, Antonietti was responsible for various departments on campus, including the Wallace Memorial Library. He received the RITirees Award in 2002 for his contributions to the university.

While Antonietti was working at RIT, the university acquired Eisenhower College in Seneca Falls, NY. The small liberal arts school was having financial difficulties at the time, so the trustees began secretly discussing a merger with RIT. On April 2, 1979, it was announced that RIT would be taking control of the college, eventually renaming it the Eisenhower College of RIT. Shortly after the acquisition, RIT realized it was fighting a losing battle. Faced with declining enrollments and a lack of financial support, RIT announced on July 22, 1982 that the small off-shoot would be permanently closed. It is estimated that over the two years that Eisenhower College was affiliated with the university, RIT suffered $5.7 million in operating losses.

In addition to his involvement at RIT, Antonietti was an active member of the Rochester community. He was President of the Board of Trustees for the Brighton Memorial Library and Chairman of the Rochester Regional Library Council's Media Committee. He also belonged to the Rochester Audiovisual Association and Brighton Cable TV Commission. Antonietti also belonged to several national organizations in his field, including the American Film Institute, the Educational Film Library Association, and the Association for Educational Communications and Technology.