Board Elects New Chairman, Vice Chairman

The top two posts on the Ithaca College Board of Trustees have changed hands. At its May meeting the board elected William Haines as chairman and Larry Alleva ’71 as vice chairman for one-year terms. Haines succeeds Herman E. "Skip" Muller Jr. ’51, who stepped down after eight years as chairman but will continue to serve as a trustee. Alleva succeeds David W. Sass ’57, who has left the board after over two decades of service.

Haines joined the board of trustees in 1996 and had previously chaired the Executive Committee (1997–2000) as well as the Building and Grounds Committee (1999–2001). He is chairman and chief executive officer of the Bromley Companies, a Manhattan-based real estate development and management firm he formed in 1972. The company develops and operates office buildings, apartments, and industrial and retail properties throughout the country. It has owned and operated college residence facilities at Ohio University, the University of Illinois, and Northern Illinois University.

Among his community activities, Haines is chairman of the board of Symphony Space Theatre and the American Bank Corporation of Illinois. He also serves on the boards of the Fifth Avenue Association, the 14th Street Local Development Corporation, and Barnes and Noble Bookstores. A native of Auburn, New York, he earned a bachelor’s degree from the State University of New York College at Cortland and a master’s degree from Ohio University.

The board’s new vice chairman, Larry Alleva, has served as a trustee since 1987. His leadership posts include chairmanship of the Executive Committee (1993–97), Audit and Finance Committee (1997–2000), and Campus Life and Community Committee (2000).

After earning his degree in accounting from Ithaca College, Alleva began his career in the Syracuse office of Price Waterhouse. Admitted to the partnership in 1982, he has earned a series of successive promotions and is currently the southeast regional managing partner for PricewaterhouseCoopers Technology Industry Group, which serves the southeastern United States. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the advisory board of Capital Growth Atlantic and has written several articles on venture capital and financing issues.

Muller earned his degree in management from the College and has served on the board since 1966. He was elected vice chairman in 1992 and chairman the following year. In a resolution of appreciation, his fellow trustees noted that Muller’s board leadership "has been unwavering, providing a presence on the campus that evidences the board’s commitment to all members of the campus community," and that his "sound judgment and broad experience guided the deliberations of this board through a presidential transition and helped to build and maintain Ithaca College as a strong, vibrant institution of higher education."

In 1998 Muller was presented with the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Ithaca College Alumni Association. Formerly associated with the New York City accounting firm of Pannell Kerr Forster, he is now a private financial consultant. He has been involved in numerous artistic organizations, including the International Leopold Stokowski Society and the American Symphony Orchestra, and he has served on the national council of the Metropolitan Opera Association and the music advisory panel of the National Endowment for the Arts.

First elected vice chairman in 1993, Sass stepped down after having served on the board since 1980. His colleagues named him an honorary trustee and in a resolution of appreciation noted that he had served consistently and steadfastly on every board committee, praising him as "a careful custodian of the affairs of the College, pondering carefully and thoroughly the important issues entrusted to his consideration, always approaching all assignments judiciously and with great insight."

A 1986 recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award, Sass was president of the Ithaca College Alumni Association Board of Directors and chaired the Fund for Ithaca fund-raising campaign. He holds a history degree from the College and a law degree from the Temple University School of Law. He is a partner in the law firm of McLaughlin & Stern, Ballen and Ballen.