1901

Key Note, produced by students of the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, becomes the first student newspaper at what will later become Ithaca College.

October 15, 1926

Once-a-Week succeeds Key Note as the campus newspaper.

January 8, 1931

First Ithacan printed.

September 1967

The Ithacan produces a special civil rights issue.

February 21, 1969

Board of trustees unanimously approves a student proposal to proceed with establishing the Ithacan as an independent publication. This means that the College will have no financial obligation to or editorial control over the paper.

July 21, 1969

Ithaca College president Howard Dillingham signs an agreement severing ties between the College and the Ithacan. The Ithacan purchases office and photo equipment from the College and pays $250 a year for office space and utilities. In exchange, the College pays a subscription fee to have the paper delivered on campus.

August 22, 1986

Editor in chief Elissa H. Vendig ’87 signs an agreement with the College to affiliate the newspaper with the School of Communications, effective January 1987; the students maintain full editorial control, and their budget is managed through the school.

Fall 1989

The newspaper moves from its Landon Hall office to room 266 in the new Roy H. Park Hall. Suffering from hardware and software problems, the paper cannot begin publishing until October 26.

Fall 1990

College hires its first full-time manager, Paul Heaton, to oversee newspaper operations.

January 1991

Ithacan moves to its current office in Park 269.

January 21, 1991

Staff members returning for the spring semester publish a special eight-page edition of the Ithacan following the outbreak of war in the Middle East.

Summer 1992

Summer Ithacan begins biweekly publication.

March 25, 1993

Ithacan prints a story reporting on sexual harassment claims made by several female students against a professor, who is dismissed the following month.

Spring 1993

Ithacan begins offering off-campus subscriptions.

1993

The Society of Professional Journalists gives the Ithacan its Mark of Excellence Award: Ithacan wins SPJ’s first place for the best college all-around nondaily newspaper in the Northeast. The paper continues to win this award every year except 1995-96.

1993-94

In what some call its finest year ever, the paper is a finalist for the National Pacemaker Award for overall excellence, presented by the Associated Collegiate Press and the Newspaper Association of America Foundation. ACP also gives the Ithacan first place for general excellence. The Columbia Scholastic Press Association honors the paper with a Silver Crown Award.

1994

The editorial board of the Ithacan, led by editor in chief Jeff Selingo ’95, creates an Ithacan Scholarship Fund, which provides outstanding staff members with a one-year scholarship. For the first time the paper publishes the salaries of administrators, including that of President James J. Whalen

November 3, 1994

Ithacan prints a story following the investigation of a professor accused of plagiarism. Newspaper editors analyze his book and find 39 sentences that are identical to those in previously published books. They also find 22 sentences that vary only in punctuation and 117 lines that are "very similar."

1995

Summer Ithacan’s last year. Paul Heaton leaves the paper; Michael Serino takes on the advising position

1995-96

The Ithacan is the only weekly newspaper to win

a Gold Crown Award, the highest honor bestowed by the CSPA

January 1996

The Ithacan starts posting weekly edition online.

April 10, 1997

Just hours after the regular weekly issue hits the stands, the College announces the hiring of Peggy Ryan Williams as the College’s seventh president. The Ithacan prints a two-page special issue to announce it.

1998

The New York Press Association gives the Ithacan third place for overall excellence and third place for design in the 1997 Better College Newspaper Contest.

1999-2000

The Ithacan starts posting breaking news stories and sports updates online before print publication appears.

2000

The NYPA gives the Ithacan first place for overall excellence, first place for design, and second place for online excellence, as well as the "best in the state" award in its 1999 contest for college newspapers.

February 2001

The Ithacan receives the Silver Crown for 1999-2000 from the CSPA, and the NYPA again honors the paper with its "best college newspaper in the state" award.