Whalen Receives Honorary Degree
	At its commencement ceremonies on June 13, Ohio University awarded an honorary doctor of laws degree to James J. Whalen, president emeritus of Ithaca College. Whalen, who served as Ithaca’s president from 1975 to 1997, had previously held several administrative positions at Ohio. In presenting the honorary degree, Ohio University president Robert Glidden called Whalen "one of the most influential figures in independent higher education." The degree citation itself lauded Whalen as a "gifted and creative administrator," who "devoted a thirty-year career to excellence in educational administration." During his 22 years as Ithaca College president, Whalen held leadership positions with a number of higher education organizations, serving as chairman of the American Council on Education, the New York State Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities, and the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, from which he received the Henry S. Paley Memorial Award. He has served on many other boards and advisory groups, and was a charter member of the Presidents Commission of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and cochair of the NCAA Task Force on Gender Equity. At Ohio University from 1964 to 1969, Whalen served as director of the Center for Psychological Services, dean of students, vice president for administrative affairs, and, finally, as executive vice president. He left to assume his first college presidency at Newton College in Massachusetts. Whalen began his academic career in 1958 as assistant dean for the University of Maryland University College program in Munich, Germany, and served Maryland in a variety of capacities over the next six years, including assistant director of the European division. Whalen stepped down as president of Ithaca College in 1997.