New Student and Transition Programs welcomes Mame Ndiaye as Assistant Director

By Quinten Hernandez, August 1, 2022

Photo of Mame Ndiaye, Assistant Director of New Student and Transition Programs

Photo by Quinten Hernandez

Dear Ithaca College Community,

The Office of New Student and Transition Programs is excited to introduce Mame Ndiaye as the new Assistant Director. Ndiaye is not a stranger to the Ithaca area, as she received her first master’s degree in Global Development from Cornell University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in 2020. She focused on access barriers for women and girls to higher education in west African countries. She is near completion of her second master’s in Public Administration from the Cornell Institute for Public Affairs. Where her research focuses on the experiences of black professionals at predominantly white institutions. She received her associate’s and bachelor’s from Tompkins Cortland Community college and SUNY Cortland, respectively. Ndiaye plans to pursue her Doctorate in Educational Leadership.

She brings expertise from the Ithaca College Offices of Residence Life and Student Conduct and Community Standards to this new position. She joined the college in 2021 as a Residence Director and oversaw the daily coordination of six residence halls, including a student population of approximately 500, and supervised a staff of fourteen Resident Assistants. She also acted as a Title IX Hearing Officer, and hearing student conduct cases concerning improper use of alcohol, drug violations, and other policy violations. In her short time at Residence Life and Housing, she was able to serve as the Chair for the DEI committee, be a member of committees seeking to enhance policy, and serve on the residential education committee to assist in the assessment based changes needed to create an enriched residential education program.

While completing her academic studies she has served in various professional roles in higher education and international affairs. She has been able to be a consultant for international organizations, emerging scholars, and newer professionals through her own business. Ndiaye previously worked as a Residence Director at SUNY Cortland, where she served as Founder and Chair of the Anti-Racism committee in Residence Life and Housing. In addition to serving in the role of a program coordinator for the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Program at Cornell University, she assisted in coordinating an inclusive programming model for mid-career professionals from developing countries who planned to gain professional and academic development, as well as planned their 40th anniversary celebration that hosted a variety of international partners.

The common theme across these varying roles is her passion for advocating for underrepresented and hidden populations and developing meaningful opportunities to support increased student engagement, success, and retention rates. In all of her roles, she values collaboration with global partners to support their personal and academic needs.

Mame Ndiaye is a first-generation college student from a Senegalese family. She grew up in New York City and attended K-12 education there. Each year, her family would have her spend summers in Senegal, which was conducive to her having a Senegalese American upbringing.

NSTP looks forward to the wonderful contributions Mame will bring to the office and orientation program. Ndiaye is the first Black woman to serve as Assistant Director, since the founding of NSTP in 2018. Ndiaye brings with her a professional and academic background that comprises of a variety of areas including program coordinating, career coaching, student development, higher education reform, DEI, and residence life