President's Office
Dear Members of the Campus Community,
I invite you to join us today, April 2nd, at 1pm in the Steinman lobby for a memorial gathering in honor of Professor David Rumschitzki.
For more than four decades, David was an active member of our campus community who left an indelible impact in the lives of his students and colleagues. We will be joined by members of his immediate family in remembering all the qualities that made him irreplaceable.
At a later date, we will plant a tree on the lawn of Shepard Hall to honor David's memory, commemorate his contributions and to serve as an inspiration.
Tuesday, April 2, 2024
1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
The City College of New York
The Grove School of Engineering
Steinman Hall Lobby
140th Street & Convent Avenue
New York, NY 10031
Join us for a gathering to celebrate the life and contributions of
David Rumschitzki
To join remotely, please visit:
https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/chemeng/celebrating-life-professor-david-rumschitzki
ABOUT DAVID S. RUMSHITZKI
The City College is mourning the loss of David S. Rumschitzki, a stalwart professor of chemical engineering for four decades in the Grove School of Engineering. He died suddenly in his office on Nov. 2, 2023. He was 66.
Professor Rumschitzki was a colossus both on campus and in his field, with numerous accomplishments and honors to his credit. Athletic and indefatigable, he was an enduring figure in Steinman Hall, guiding and advancing the educational careers of generations of students in one of the best public engineering programs in the nation.
Professor Rumschitzki was legendary for his stewardship of student research, his engagement with student clubs and his participation in faculty committees, including the executive committee of the faculty senate.
Professionally, his research and work were of the highest class, earning him recognition widely. A particular focus of his were questions regarding the chemical processing of cholesterol in the blood, with a particular interest in how different cells engage the process of maintaining cholesterol homeostasis.
His honors include: National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator (1987), Melville Medal of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (1996),
Alexander von Humboldt Research Fellow at the University of Bonn (1996-1997), and Herbert G. Kayser Professor (2004-2011),
In 2019, Professor Rumschitzki was the recipient of a Fulbright U.S. Scholar Grant for his proposal “Theory & experiment for breast cancer dormancy & recurrence.”
The Fulbright supported his research at the Rappaport Faculty of Medicine at the Technion in Haifa, Israel, to find out why some cancers reappear years after chemotherapy or surgery.
Later in 2019, Professor Rumschitzki received a U.S. Department of Education Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) grant of more than $1million to train seven chemical engineering PhDs in sub-areas of the field.
He cared for the welfare of others and was instrumental in installing health insurance coverage for PhD students through the Graduate Center when the Doctoral program was still at CUNY. He also fought for tuition waivers for engineering PhD students in their sixth and seventh year after the program moved to CCNY.
Professor Rumschitzki was a diligent steward of his own health as well. A vegetarian, he ran the NYC Marathon every year and biked to school daily. The only time he would not use his bicycle, is when it was snowing too heavily then he would switch to skis.
David, who came to CCNY in 1983, will be sorely missed. He leaves the CCNY community as one of its longest serving and most engaged members.