$12.4 million gift from Henry Navas and Deborah Robbins to bolster student scholarship and success initiatives at institute
Rochester Institute of Technology has received $12.4 million in gifts from alumnus Henry Navas and his spouse, Deborah Robbins.
Their longstanding support of the university includes a landmark $4.8 million donation to RIT’s National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID)—the largest gift in NTID’s history.
NTID will use the funds to bolster student scholarship and success initiatives.
“Henry and Deborah were lifelong friends of NTID,” said NTID President Gerry Buckley.
“It is through this friendship and the mutual respect we shared that our students will be able to live, learn, and thrive as part of our very special community. We are so grateful.”
In addition to their support of NTID, $800,000 from their gift will fund RIT’s Big Shot photography project, produced by the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences. A passionate advocate for the “painting with light” project, Navas frequently joined the Big Shot team on scouting trips and strategic planning efforts.
“Henry dreamed big things for Big Shot,” wrote Professor Michael Peres. “He liked that it brought people together and encompassed art, technology, and community. His impact on the project will always be honored.”
The couple also established the Navas-Robbins Poetry Fund in 2024 with a $150,000 gift to RIT’s College of Liberal Arts. The fund enriches the literary arts by supporting student engagement with professional poets, writers, and artists. It provides visiting poets’ books to the campus community, commissions broadside prints using RIT’s letterpress, supports student readings, and forges partnerships with local literary organizations.
In another major act of philanthropy, Navas and Robbins endowed the Eugene H. Fram Chair in Applied Critical Thinking with a $5.3 million gift.
Originally established anonymously in 2012, the chair supports initiatives that advance effective thinking across disciplines and has become a cornerstone of RIT’s academic mission.
Navas earned his MBA in 1974 and a master’s degree in accounting in 1977 from RIT’s Saunders College of Business.
He served on the university’s Board of Trustees and contributed to several committees, including the education and audit committees, the RIT West Coast Board of Advisors, and the Strategic Plan Task Force. He also received the Saunders College of Business Distinguished Alumni Award in 2016.
His career included leadership roles at Xerox, Advanced Micro Devices, and Cisco Systems, where he played a pivotal role in the company’s IPO in 1990.
Deborah Robbins earned her Ph.D. in English Literature with a specialization in American Studies from Northwestern University and taught at both Marquette University and the University of Michigan.
Her professional journey also included editorial leadership roles at Xerox and Apple. Beyond her corporate career, she actively supported animal welfare organizations, including the Peninsula Humane Society, a gibbon sanctuary in Thailand, and the San Francisco Zoo, where she served on the board.
Their legacy continues to shape RIT through education, the arts, and student success.