Board of Trustees Chair David H. Lissy ’87 Makes Gift to Expand Recruitment and Marketing Resources

By Kyle Hornyak, October 12, 2021

Commitment is designed to increase enrollment from the DC, MD, and VA region.

IC engaging prospective students from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) — a region that holds great promise for recruiting the next generation of alumni.

A three-year commitment from Ithaca College Board of Trustees Chair David H. Lissy ’87 and Suzanne Lissy ’88 on behalf of the Lissy Family Foundation will empower the institution to focus admission efforts on engaging prospective IC students from the District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) — a region that holds great promise for recruiting the next generation of alumni.

“The goal of this investment is to strengthen the college’s reach in engaging students from a region with very strong potential for enrollment,” said Lissy. “Reimagining and reinvigorating the institution’s enrollment and marketing strategy is a priority of the Ithaca Forever strategic plan, and Suzanne and I are pleased to make this commitment to ensure the long-term vitality of Ithaca College.”

The Lissy Family Foundation previously provided a gift to support the establishment of an on-campus food pantry to assist students struggling with food insecurity.

The Lissys’ commitment of $750,000 funds a full-time position and supports specific marketing initiatives in the DMV region. Tiffanee Charles, based in Maryland, began her tenure as assistant director for regional admissions with Ithaca College on October 11. Charles, an alumna of Towson University (BS) and Hofstra University (MS Ed.), most recently served on the admissions and enrollment team at Goucher College in Baltimore, MD.

“Having dedicated admission counselors in the New York City and Boston areas has been very successful in terms of building awareness and recruiting students to study at IC,” said Nicole Eversley Bradwell, executive director of admission. “Our enrollment team is deeply grateful to Dave Lissy for his incredible contribution that will position the institution for the same success in the DC metro area.”

“The goal of this investment is to strengthen the college’s reach in engaging students from a region with very strong potential for enrollment. Reimagining and reinvigorating the institution’s enrollment and marketing strategy is a priority of the Ithaca Forever strategic plan, and Suzanne and I are pleased to make this commitment to ensure the long-term vitality of Ithaca College.”

David H. Lissy '87, chair for the Ithaca College Board of Trustees

Along with bringing on a dedicated admissions recruiter, the gift will support lead generation, initiatives to enlist local alumni in support of student recruitment efforts, and the creation of a market-based group of key stakeholders including high school counselors and community-based organization leaders. The commitment will also allow the college to invest in strategic digital and other forms of advertising through a partnership with Carnegie Dartlet, the leading enrollment marketing and digital strategy firm.

Laurie Koehler, vice president for marketing and enrollment strategy, elaborates on how the college determines which markets to target. “We use 10 years of historical application and enrollment data along with alumni presence, current brand visibility, and projected market growth, among other factors,” Koehler said. “This is in addition to identifying markets where we have strong brand presence already, but given increased competition and projected declines in high school graduates, we determine there is a need to invest more heavily in marketing.”

The next market the college hopes to invest dedicated enrollment resources in is the Los Angeles area. Additional markets with great promise include the greater metro areas of Chicago, Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, Denver, and Seattle.