CHRONICLE

Williams Named Seventh President Peggy Williams Photo by Richard A. Chase		In April the Ithaca College Board of Trustees announced the unanimous selection of Margaret Ryan Williams as the seventh --- and first female --- president in the institution's 105-year history. Currently the president of Lyndon State College in Vermont, she will begin her duties in Ithaca this summer; an exact start date has yet to be determined. "We are delighted that Peggy, as she wishes to be known, has accepted the board's offer, and we look forward to working with her on behalf of Ithaca College in the coming years," said board of trustees chairman Herman E. Muller Jr. '51. "She brings to Ithaca outstanding credentials as a teacher and administrator. We are confident that she will provide the leadership necessary to continue the tradition of excellence already established at the College." "I am grateful for the board's confidence in me and honored to have been selected," said Williams. "Ithaca College has an excellent reputation and I look forward to working with all members of the College community to build on that reputation in the years to come." "I will leave Ithaca College in good hands," noted President James J. Whalen, who came to the College as its sixth president in 1975. "I am aware of Peggy's work through the American Council on Education, and I can certainly attest to her enthusiasm and her expertise in dealing with higher education issues. I look forward to working with her to ensure a smooth transition." Since 1989 Williams has been president of Lyndon State, a public institution of 1,200 students in Lyndonville, Vermont. Her background in higher education administration includes service as associate academic dean and chair of the business and economics department at Trinity College in Burlington; director of educational and personnel services for the Vermont state colleges system; and regional director at the Community College of Vermont in Montpelier. Her teaching experience includes positions at Trinity, Johnson State College, and the Community College of Vermont. She also held a one-year appointment as a teaching fellow at Harvard University. A native of Montreal who holds dual citizenship, Williams earned a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from St. Michael's College of the University of Toronto, master of education degree with a concentration in higher education administration and planning from the University of Vermont, and doctor of education degree in administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard. In 1990 Williams was named one of Vermont's "top ten achievers" by Creating Excellence magazine, and in 1984 she was the first recipient of the Jackie M. Gribbons Leadership Award from the American Council on Education. The Margaret R. Williams Emerging Professional Award was established in her name by the ACE/National Identification Program.
New Buildings Planned	Thanks to the sale of $42.645 million in tax-exempt bonds, the College is moving ahead with plans to construct a new facility for the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance as well as a new fitness center. Serving programs such as physical and occupational therapy, exercise science, and gerontology, the new health sciences building will include computer learning labs and innovative clinical areas for interdisciplinary learning. Open to students and employees, the fitness center will feature a gymnasium equipped with cardiovascular equipment, exercise machines, and free weights. Construction is expected to begin in the fall of 1997, and the new facilities are slated to open in January 1999. Further details will be given in an upcoming issue of the Quarterly. The AAA-rated bonds, sold in February by the state's Dormitory Authority on behalf of the College, carry a true interest cost of 5.61 percent. Some of the money is to be used to refinance over $10 million in older, higher-interest bonds, a move that should save the College $423,000. The funds will also be used to renovate the health sciences facilities in Smiddy Hall and to make campus-wide improvements.
Major Grants for Gerontology Institute John Kraut Cascadilla Photography	The Gerontology Institute has received two grants worth nearly $1 million. The grants, from donors who do not wish to be named, will fund a variety of programs as the institute moves ahead with its research, education, and outreach missions. A $1.57 million grant, to be split evenly with Cornell University, will fund a five-year collaborative study of how older people age in a variety of residential environments. The project's primary focus will be to determine what conditions lead to successful, or unsuccessful, aging. Gerontology Institute director John Krout and Phyllis Moen, director of the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center at Cornell, will serve as coprincipal investigators. Ithaca College faculty participating in the research include Mattie Epps, marketing; Janet Kalinowski, psychology; Susanne Morgan, sociology; Sarah Rich, recreation and leisure studies; Robert Riter, health services administration; Joel Savishinsky, anthropology; and William Tastle, math and computer science. Another grant to the institute, worth $185,000 over three years, will support curriculum development with Ithacare's new residential facility, provide for community education and outreach through conferences and a health and wellness project, and support the incorporation of aging issues into the existing secondary school curricula of the Ithaca City School District. These projects will also involve extensive participation by Ithaca College faculty and students. In addition, the Pfizer U.S. Pharmaceuticals Group has awarded a $4,500 grant to the Gerontology Institute to support its May 22 conference on Alzheimer's disease and related disorders.
Trustee Actions	At its February meeting the Ithaca College Board of Trustees approved tuition and other charges for the 1997-98 school year and passed a resolution commending President James J. Whalen for his leadership during the past three critical years. The 4.77 percent tuition hike approved by the board represents the lowest increase in 18 years. Tuition will be $16,900, health insurance $235, and standard room and board $7,340, bringing the total cost of attendance to $24,475. The board of trustees also passed a resolution of appreciation and commendation to Whalen. Three years ago the trustees asked Whalen, with his administration, to develop a plan to address significant projected deficits without sacrificing institutional quality. Having reviewed the progress made, the trustees noted that "the College has successfully achieved or exceeded targeted goals associated with personnel, financial aid, budget, enrollment, and fund-raising, and . . . in the course of achieving these goals, the academic quality of the institution has been preserved, our service to students has been improved, our fiscal flexibility has been restored, and our ability to pursue new programs and facilities has been renewed."
Faculty Awarded Tenure/Promotions	At the meeting in February the trustees granted tenure and/or promotion to 12 faculty members. Judith Kennison (recreation and leisure studies) was promoted to the rank of professor, and associate professor Gary English (health promotion and human movement) received tenure. The board awarded both tenure and promotion to associate professor to the following people: Asma Barlas (politics), John Barr (mathematics and computer science), Jonathan Gil Harris (English), John Hrkach (theater arts), Betsy Keller (exercise and sport sciences), Robert Klee (philosophy and religion), Debra Moree (performance studies), Gordon Rowland (corporate communication), Bruce Smith (biology), and Fred Wilcox (writing). In addition, the trustees awarded the rank of professor emeritus to retired faculty members John and Mary Ann Covert (music) and Aniello Massa (accounting).
Battle Sixth Multicultural Fellow Judge Michael Battle '77 Cascadilla Photography	Michael A. Battle '77 visited the campus in April as the College's sixth visiting multicultural fellow. A judge with the Family Court of the State of New York, Erie County, he spoke on the topic "Our Changing Society: A View from the Bench." After majoring in sociology, Battle went on to law school and then to work for the Legal Aid Society in New York City. Later he became assistant New York State attorney general in charge of the Buffalo regional office (see ICQ, winter 1996). Battle currently serves on the U.S. District Court Task Force on Gender, Racial, and Ethnic Fairness in Courts and on the boards of various civic and community organizations. He has received many awards for his contributions to the community. The Visiting Multicultural Fellows Program seeks to enhance the multicultural dimensions of the campus by bringing alumni of color back to Ithaca to share their experience with students, faculty, and the community.
Emerson Award Honors Whalen	The Fred L. Emerson Foundation of Auburn, New York, has awarded Ithaca College a $500,000 grant to establish the James J. Whalen Scholarship Fund in honor of Whalen's 22-year tenure as president. Gary Emerson, a member of the foundation's board of directors, said it was an appropriate time for the board to reaffirm its friendship with Whalen and to honor his many accomplishments, since "under his guidance Ithaca College has grown and prospered beyond anyone's expectations." Whalen's presidency, he went on to say, "has become a standard of excellence against which other college presidents will be judged in the future. We feel it is important to remind those in the Ithaca family of this fact from time to time." And because students have been Whalen's "number one priority," the foundation wanted to honor him "in a way that will help future generations of Ithaca College students." One of the largest institutional contributors in Ithaca's history, the Emerson Foundation made its initial grant to the College in 1975, establishing the Fred L. Emerson Foundation Endowed Scholarship Fund. In the more than two decades since, Ithaca has awarded Emerson scholarships to almost 2,700 students. Other foundation grants include a $250,000 award to establish internships for students with demonstrated need and a $500,000, two-for-one challenge to support scholarship and internship initiatives and to enable students to access computer network services directly from their residence halls.
Park Scholars of Achievement	Four students in the Roy H. Park School of Communications have been named the first recipients of the Park Scholar of Achievement Awards. Valued at up to $25,000 each, the endowed scholarships were made possible by a $10 million grant from the Park Foundation last year in honor of Ithaca College president James J. Whalen. The inaugural scholars are television-radio majors Scott Wallace '97 and Frank Faita '98, journalism major Leah Romano '99, and corporate communication major Brin Tucker '00. Wallace is a peer adviser in the Park School and has held positions with 106-VIC and ICTV. A talented musician, he has also assisted at food kitchens and sponsored programs for visiting high school students. Faita works as a student supervisor in Egbert Dining Hall; he is also a volunteer at Ithacare and with the Salvation Army. Romano has performed with the Muller Chapel Theatre Group, taken part in service activities with the College's Protestant community, served as a residence hall representative with the Student Government Association, and worked with ICTV. Tucker was a National Merit Scholarship semifinalist and valedictorian of her high school class. She has performed extensive volunteer work as well as played varsity soccer and softball.
Park School Has Busy Spring	Two of the country's most experienced reporters came to the Roy H. Park School of Communications this spring to share their insights about the news business.
Jeff Greenfield Dan Vecchio Photography	Jeff Greenfield, an Emmy Award-winning reporter for ABC News, spent four days on campus as the inaugural participant in the Park Distinguished Visitors Series. During his stay, Greenfield spoke in classes, held workshops with student media, and met with groups of students and faculty. He also gave a talk, "The New Information Age: Is the Truth Really Out There?" A political and media analyst for ABC since 1983, Greenfield appears regularly on Nightline and provides weekly commentaries for World News Sunday. He has also written or coauthored 10 books, including a best-selling novel.
Cokie Roberts David Reuther photo	Cokie Roberts, anchor of ABC's This Week and political analyst for National Public Radio, spoke on "The Ways of Washington" as this year's Jessica Savitch Distinguished Journalism Lecture Series speaker. During the course of her talk, Roberts revealed some of the inside observations and anecdotes she has collected in more than 20 years covering Congress. She has received numerous honors, including the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's Edward R. Murrow Award for outstanding contributions to public radio.
New Faces in Development Shelley Semmler Dave Maley photo	Several people recently joined the Office of College Relations and Resource Development. As the new associate vice president, Shelley Semmler is responsible for planning and directing the College's overall fund-raising effort, supervising the directors of annual giving, corporate and foundation relations, academic funding, and planned and leadership giving. She also coordinates liaison work with the College's five schools and oversees the recruitment and management of a growing network of volunteers. Semmler has 18 years of experience in fund-raising, alumni relations, and public relations in higher education, most recently as a senior associate with the consulting firm Carol O'Brien Associates. She holds a bachelor's degree in education from Queens College and a master's in curriculum from the State University College at Cortland, and has done graduate work at Cornell.
	Also new on the scene is Lori Watkins '85, director of operations and support services. Since earning her B.S. in communications management, she has worked primarily in information services. She is now responsible for the research office and for management and development of the alumni database. She is also in charge of Alumni Hall facilities, including coordination of technological development. Camille Harrington, the new associate director of the Annual Fund, has worked at the College since 1992, most recently in conference and event services. In her new position she coordinates mailings, phone solicitations, and other contact with the Friends of Ithaca College and the President's Associates. Anne Ryan, development associate, has been director of development communications at both Williams College and Cornell University. At Ithaca she writes, edits, and coordinates production of promotional materials that support fund-raising. She also provides general support to the associate vice president.

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