Capital Giving

Providing an infrastructure that leans into innovation is critical in attracting and supporting today’s and tomorrow’s student leaders.

JOHN J. NEESON ’84

To that end, leading business marketing and analytics authority John J. Neeson ’84 established an endowment to create the state-of-the-art Neeson Business Analytics Lab and Neeson Digital Marketing and Analytics Lab in the School of Business.

The school is among only a very few institutions (and the first of its size compared to far larger competitors) to offer lab spaces fully dedicated to the study of analytics, where students can obtain crucial, hands-on experience using innovative software and web analytics tools. John’s gift also funds ongoing software updates and future upgrades to the spaces.

“When we started talking more seriously about making a gift to name the natatorium, we were really looking for something that would have a lasting effect on IC.”

JOHN J. NEESON ’84

During the dedication ceremony for the labs, John was optimistic that his contribution would help students on their career trajectories: “I hope that all of you have the journey that I’ve had in business and have the opportunity to give back to this school, because this place is where I felt I really grew as a person, as an individual, and it has meant so much to me.”

The Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium

The Kelsey Partridge Bird Natatorium is the first Ithaca College facility to benefit from an endowment that will help keep it in top operational condition. The endowment, bestowed by School of Business alumni Lee ’86 and Linda Bird ’86, will sustain the pool’s operational costs for generations of IC and Ithaca community members to enjoy, and is named in memory of Kelsey Partridge Bird, daughter of Lee and Linda.

“When we started talking more seriously about making a gift to name the natatorium, we were really looking for something that would have a lasting effect on IC.”

LEE ’86 AND LINDA BIRD ’86

LEE ’86 AND LINDA BIRD ’86

“Linda and I wanted to contribute to the naming of the pool because we love IC’s swim program,” says Lee, an all-American swimmer while at IC. “IC has the coaches and facilities that provide the best environment for top performance. The program needs a great facility to be a truly top-flight swim program.”

Active in the college community as an undergraduate, Lee has maintained his ties to IC since graduating. “During my career journey, I’ve stayed close to my business school professors and my swim coaches who still coach at IC,” Lee says. “When you have those unique friendships, you stay close to the school that way.”

While the college’s swimming and diving teams make the most use of the facility’s Olympic-size indoor pool, IC’s track and field team also uses the pool for low-impact resistance training. The natatorium is used by athletic trainers to support the rehabilitation of IC’s student-athletes, and faculty and students from various departments regularly collaborate in the facility as well.