News and Events

It is with great sadness that we share the news that Paul McBride, Professor Emeritus in the Department of History, died after a brief illness on August 27, 2025. Professor McBride retired from Ithaca College in June of 2001, after teaching at IC for 30 years. He credited his intellectual formation to his graduate work at the University of Georgia, where he studied history and participated in anti-war activism through the Students for a Democratic Society. At Ithaca College, he was one of a handful of H&S faculty members who were integrally involved in the formation of the H&S Faculty Senate, and he was a member of the Senate from its inception. He served as chairperson of the History Department and was an active voice in campus governance, serving on the Faculty Council for many years as well as on the All-College Tenure and Promotion Committee and many other committees at the College, school, and department levels. He also served as an academic associate to the Atlantic Council, as College historian, and as faculty trustee.  Professor McBride was named a Dana Fellow in 1982, a title he retained until retirement.

In the classroom, Professor McBride taught a range of courses in 20th century history, including courses on the Vietnam War and on the history of immigration and race in the United States. The course “Ethnic America,” which he created, continues to be taught (with a changed name) in the department, and is being offered this very fall. His colleagues recall his animated, interactive teaching style, his talents as a storyteller, and his dedication to celebratory programming in his role as College Historian during the Centennial celebration in 1992.

Professor McBride was married to Linda McBride, Professor Emerita in Psychology.