Annual Focus Areas

1. Financial Stability

Determine and maintain an appropriate and sustainable size for our programs and structures, and the associated resources at every level of the institution.

• Meet FY26 Board approved budget of ($9.2M)
• Meet net revenue target of $200.4M
• Achieve 1180 deposits (first year and transfer) by May 1, 2026
• Activate strategic enrollment plan inclusive of reduced discount rate for FY26 and reflective of collaboration between Academic Affairs Division, Student Affairs and Campus Life Division, and Enrollment Management Division
• Develop strategy to increase revenue through year-round use of campus effective FY27
   

2. Student Success

Become a national model for student success, engagement, and well-being, helping students develop their unique potential.

• Explore ways to use artificial intelligence to enhance the student experience, retention, and degree completion efforts
• Create new Academic Success Center (ASC) leveraging expertise in former CSSR and school-based Academic Service Coordinators to centralize academic student support services
• Assess impact of themed housing on sense of belonging for students new to IC

3. Integration

Structurally support and value collaboration, interdisciplinarity, curricular flexibility, and shared governance.

• Continued development and launch of new programs focusing on collaboration and interdisciplinarity inside and outside of the classroom
• Implement AI review and governance processes that are in alignment with the recommendations from the Presidential Working Group on AI.
• Continue to use data to make informed decisions and create division specific dashboards for use by Executive Council and individual divisions.
   

Develop cross-sector and community partnerships that address challenging issues, optimize the use of resources, and serve the public good.

• Work with local and regional employers, including Centralus, Corning, Borg Warner, Tompkins County, and the city of Ithaca to ascertain future workforce needs and evaluate the alignment of our curriculum with identified future workforce needs.
• Partner with Tompkins Cortland Community College and TST BOCES to create pathways to IC from specific programs and for graduates of dual enrollment high school programs.

4. Advancement

Cultivate an Ithaca Forever community, inspired by the power of the Ithaca College experience.

• Identify specific initiatives and activities to develop a culture of philanthropy on campus
• Explore ways to enhance alumni engagement and the donor cultivation experience.
• Develop strategy for including the Academic Affairs Division and the Student Affairs and Campus Life Division in fundraising efforts.
• Identify specific capital initiatives for funding in FY27 and clarity on the long-term advancement strategy with milestones to guide the Board of Trustees

1. Student success: We support student success by educating them with high impact curricular and co-curricular academic programs, engaging them with collaborative opportunities, and empowering them through attention to wellness and belonging as measured by student persistence and retention.
2. Integration: We educate students across academic disciplines in ways that integrate theory, practice, and performance; that engage faculty and students in collaborations and explorations across the institution; and empower the whole campus community to work together with an institutional mind-set to support integration.
3. Sustainable and appropriate size to support future success: We advance our mission through responsible stewardship and strategic leveraging of institutional resources.
4. Equity, inclusion, and belonging: We cultivate an inclusive and supportive environment for all members of our community by educating and engaging through an equity framework.

1. Improve Ithaca College’s financial sustainability through the development and implementation of a comprehensive marketing and enrollment strategy that results in a stabilized enrollment pattern of 1,380 to 1,420 new full-time undergraduate students each year.
2. Increase student retention and graduation through a data-informed student success and retention strategy.
3. Develop a comprehensive philanthropy and engagement strategy to increase financial support for the college while also supporting our enrollment, student retention, and student success goals.
4. Continue to build the infrastructure that will facilitate the college’s transformation from a school-based mindset to an institutional mindset, fostering student exploration and faculty collaboration through the development of systems, structures, and processes that are institutional rather than school specific, where appropriate.

1. Continue the development of a 5-year financial sustainability model. (Our Investments)
2. Increase student retention leading to increased graduation rates. (Our Investments)
3. Provide a transformative student learning experience that exemplifies Ithaca College’s leadership in meaningfully connecting theory, practice, and performance. (Our Purpose)
4. Increase alumni engagement and leverage alumni expertise. (Our Future)
5. Enhance our capacity to deliver a student living and learning environment grounded in Ithaca College’s commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging. (Our Commitments)
6. Make Progress on Ithaca College’s Master Plan (Our Investments)
7. Embody Our Commitment to be an employer of choice (Our Investments)

The third year of Ithaca Forever’s implementation continues an emphasis on our community—from health and safety to our connections with one another—and fuels our forward momentum as we stabilize and evolve our institution. The college’s strategic work this academic year aligns with these six priorities:

1. The development of a Community of Care
2. Furthering our work to build a sustainable financial model
3. COVID and public health management
4. Diversity, equity, and inclusion
5. Enrollment, retention, and engagement
6. Leveraging innovations in our teaching, learning, and working

Despite the disruptions of the global COVID-19 pandemic, the college has continued implementation of the Ithaca Forever strategic plan. Four principles in particular informed the focus areas of this academic year:

1. Stabilize Finances/Generate Revenue
2. Focus on enrollment, academic success and student engagement
3. COVID Public Health Management/Preparedness
4. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion