Stephen Aldersley

Stephen Aldersley serves as a Professor at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), which operates as a college within the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). With a career spanning over four decades since joining the faculty in 1980, Dr. Aldersley has held numerous leadership positions including chair of the English department (1991-2005), chair of the Department of Liberal Studies (2005-2008), and Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs (2013-2017).

His educational background includes a BS from the University of Surrey (United Kingdom), an MA from College of St. Rose, and an Ed.D. from the University of Rochester. His academic expertise spans Linguistics, Education, Special Education, and Higher Education Administration. From 1995-2008, he also served as an Impartial Hearing Officer for the State of New York, adjudicating K-12 special education cases.

Dr. Aldersley's research has evolved from reading instruction and programmatic success in deaf education toward academic leadership experiences. His scholarly work examines institutional status changes, history of deaf education organizations, student success prediction, judicial interpretation of educational policies, and particularly the nuanced responsibilities of department chairs in higher education. His recent publications in The Department Chair journal provide practical insights into academic administration through narrative case studies.

Following a sabbatical in 2017/18, he accepted a joint appointment with RIT's School of Individualized Study and served for two years as the Paul A. Miller Chair of International Education. His current teaching responsibilities include SOIS-510 Capstone Project, guiding students in the Individualized Program bachelor of science degree program through reflection on their educational journey and preparation for future goals.

His professional contributions extend beyond NTID to broader academic leadership contexts, with his recent scholarship offering valuable perspectives on the daily challenges and responsibilities of academic administrators. Dr. Aldersley maintains an active professional presence with contact information listed as sfance@ntid.rit.edu and phone number 585-802-9327, with his office located in LBJ-1271 at RIT.