The Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is a private university

Private university

Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...

, located within the town of Henrietta

Henrietta, New York

Henrietta is a town in Monroe County, New York, United States. It is a suburb of Rochester. The population was 42,581 at the 2010 census. Established in 1818, the town is named after Henrietta Laura Pulteney, Countess of Bath, daughter of Sir William Pulteney, 5th Baronet, a major British...

 in metropolitan Rochester, New York

Rochester, New York

Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...

, United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

. RIT is among the top colleges and universities in the nation for programs in the fine arts, placing in the top 10 for many of the college's programs, including Photography #3, Glass art #2, Industrial design #8, Metals/Jewelry #8, Multimedia/visual communications #10, Graphic design #12.
The Institute as it is known today began as a result of an 1891 merger between the Rochester Athenaeum, a literary society

Literary society

A literary society is a group of people interested in literature. In the modern sense, this refers to a society that wants to promote one genre of literature or a specific writer. Modern literary societies typically promote research about their chosen author or genre, publish newsletters, and hold...

 founded in 1829 by Colonel Nathaniel Rochester

Nathaniel Rochester

Nathaniel Rochester was an American Revolutionary War soldier and land speculator, most noted for founding the settlement which would become Rochester, New York.-Early years:...

 and associates, and the Mechanics Institute, a Rochester institute of practical technical training

Vocational education

Vocational education or vocational education and training is an education that prepares trainees for jobs that are based on manual or practical activities, traditionally non-academic, and totally related to a specific trade, occupation, or vocation...

 for local residents founded in 1885 by a consortium of local businessmen including Captain Henry Lomb.