Board of Trustees Appoints Three New Members

At its May meeting the Ithaca College Board of Trustees elected three new members, reelected four, and awarded honorary status to another two.

Joining the board for three-year terms were faculty trustee Steven Mauk, staff trustee Arlene Dende, and alumni trustee Michael Kaplan ’85. Elected to additional three-year terms were Lawrence Alleva ’71, Adelaide Gomer, Robert Kur ’70, and Samuel Shmikler ’77. Two departing trustees --- David Sass ’57 and Carolyn Serling --- were named honorary trustees.

A professor of saxophone, Mauk joined the School of Music faculty in 1975. In addition to teaching a range of courses, including Private Saxophone and Chamber Music, he has presented more than 500 performances of solo recitals, concertos, chamber music, and jazz ensembles. He has also written two books, Saxophone Warm-Ups and A Practical Approach to Playing the Saxophone. Mauk holds a doctorate and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Tennessee.

Mauk has chaired the graduate programs in music and was acting chair of the Department of Performance Studies. He currently serves on the College’s Budget Committee and Planning and Priorities Committee, and has cochaired that body’s Enrollment Task Force. His recent service work includes membership on the Student Government Scholarship Committee, Presidential Library Review Committee, and Faculty Development Committee. The recipient of numerous academic and performance honors, Mauk recently received the College’s 2001 Excellence in Teaching Award (see story, page 3), which is given each year to a faculty member who has demonstrated subject mastery, presentation, and the ability to interact successfully with students.

Arlene Dende has been employed since 1991 as administrative assistant in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science. Her duties include hiring and supervising more than 60 student workers each year and administering and processing mathematics placement examinations for all incoming students. She was previously a secretary/department assistant in the Department of Speech Communication. She has been employed by the College since 1987.

A member of the College’s Staff Training and Development Committee, Dende has served as president of the Lansing Home School Organization and the Lansing Community Council. She attended Tompkins Cortland Community College and is the parent of two current Ithaca College students.

Kaplan, a management supervisor with a direct marketing agency in New York City, is an active and committed alumnus. Since graduating with a degree in communications management in 1985, he has served as an alumni admission representative and a career development alumni contact. Currently a member of the Ithaca College Alumni Association Board of Directors, to which he was first elected in 1987, he has served as that body’s treasurer, chair of program planning, and chair of alumni clubs. Kaplan is also a member of the Metro New York City Alumni Club. He has returned to the College to speak in advertising and marketing classes and has provided instruction in direct marketing.

Kaplan has 15 years of advertising agency and corporate experience in all aspects of direct response marketing. He has developed strategic marketing plans for the direct response advertising campaigns of a number of clients, including AT&T and the United States Postal Service. In his current position with Grey Direct in New York City, he directs the Liberty Mutual affinity-marketing program. In that role he develops acquisitions strategies to reach 400 affinity groups, mailing over 20 million packages a year.

Trustee resolutions of appreciation to Serling and Sass took note of both members’ insight and commitment. Serling was lauded for her "exemplary leadership, sound judgment, and active participation in all of her board responsibilities" and for the way she "strongly supported the ongoing development of the College’s educational mission and commitment to excellence." Sass was cited for providing dedicated and distinguished service to the College as a board member since 1980 and vice chairman since 1993, as well as for sharing "his knowledge, practicality, and congenial good sense."

The board approved additional resolutions of appreciation for departing faculty trustee Elaine Leeder, staff trustee Karen Johnson, and alumni trustee David Stewart ’67.