Former Presidents
Seven individuals have guided the institution known today as Ithaca College to international prominence.
From its beginnings in 1892 as a music conservatory to its current status as a comprehensive college, Ithaca College has weathered storms, thrived, and evolved, guided by the vision and leadership of its presidents. Each leader has insisted on excellence and instilled that commitment in faculty and students. Each president has helped to improve the College and, in passing on the baton of leadership, charged his successor with taking the institution to the next level.
Read on to learn more about the people largely responsible for the cultural legacy and contributions of the institution on Ithaca's South Hill.
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W. Grant Egbert
President, 1892-1924
Founder, musical director, and president of the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, the predecessor of Ithaca College
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George C. Williams
President, 1924-1932
Second president of the Ithaca Conservatory of Music and first president of the renamed Ithaca College
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Leonard B. Job
President, 1932-1957
Guardian who successfully shepherded the College through the Great Depression and World War II
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Howard I. Dillingham
President, 1957-1970
Conductor of the movement that transported Ithaca College from downtown Ithaca to South Hill
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Ellis L. Phillips Jr.
President, 1970-1975
Credited with overseeing substantive, comprehensive changes to the College
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James J. Whalen
President, 1975-1997
Led the College through a time of unprecedented growth
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