May 25, 2004 -- Patricia Sorce, veteran educator at Rochester Institute of Technology and co-director of the Printing Industry Center at RIT, has been appointed chair of the School of Print Media in RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences.  The three-year term begins June 1. Using her extensive background in marketing and research, Sorce will supervise the undergraduate and graduate printing programs while maintaining supervision of the Printing Industry Center with co-director Frank Cost. A joint project with the College of Business and supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, the Printing Industry Center at RIT is dedicated to the study of major business environment influences in the printing industry.   “This is a huge time of transition in the printing industry,” says Sorce. “Reference books, for example, are being replaced by compact discs and online sources. But Printing remains an important industry. It encompasses a large range of businesses from major publishers such as Time, Inc. to the local copy shop.  In our educational programs, the School of Print Media will need to address what is the continuing role of print media in the years to come.” Sorce has been a faculty member at in the College of Business at RIT for more than 20 years.  She also served as associate dean of the College of Business from 1996-2001.  Sorce has participated in numerous committees, including the Agenda for Action and Campus Security committees and Institute Council.     “Through groundbreaking research and consistent leadership, Pat Sorce has become a highly respected resource within the printing field,” states Joan Stone, dean of RIT’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences. “Applying that level of dedication to the School of Print Media’s academic programs will guarantee she has a similar impact on the next generation of industry professionals.” A resident of Webster, N.Y., Sorce earned a Ph.D. in cognitive and experimental psychology from the University of Massachusetts.