IC125: Help Us Celebrate and Welcome Our New President!

By Staff, May 5, 2017

IC125: Help Us Celebrate and Welcome Our New President!

This fall, IC turns 125 years old and the college will be marking this special occasion during the 2017–2018 academic year. To properly recognize 125 years of incredible IC connections; the impact of its students, alumni, faculty, and staff on the world; and the countless achievements of these community members, the college will kick off IC125: an epic, yearlong celebration highlighted by the inauguration of Shirley M. Collado, the ninth president of Ithaca College.

A passionate group of faculty and staff has been busy planning a year to remember. They're working with an advisory group of students, faculty, and staff to brainstorm fun and celebratory events and activities. They have also reached out to student clubs, colleagues, and alumni throughout our community to find out what the perfect IC celebration might look like.

"We want our faculty and staff to beam with pride, our alumni to feel nostalgic and reconnect, our parents to be inspired, our local neighbors to feel welcomed, and our students to feel a part of it all," said Steve TenEyck, associate professor of theatre arts and member of the planning committee.

Connect, reconnect, and share online. What's the first person, place, thing, or tradition that comes to mind when you think of IC? Maybe it's the Senior Splash, a favorite professor, or that breathtaking view over Cayuga Lake. Nominate your top choices at ithaca.edu/125 by June 1. Later this summer, we'll launch a full website devoted to the 125th anniversary and invite community members to join in on some virtual storytelling. The site will be a hub for sharing memories and finding ways to participate in the year.

Celebrate at the big event in November. All IC students, their families, faculty, staff, alumni, and friends and neighbors are invited to the Weekend on South Hill, November 3–5, 2017. The event — which takes place when our annual alumni and family weekends would usually be held — will feature the inauguration of President Collado as well as an academic symposium that will showcase IC faculty and alumni speakers as well as thought leaders from other colleges and universities.

And of course, no celebration would be complete without a moment to reflect, connect with one another, and share our pride. The Weekend on South Hill will culminate in a fun- and entertainment-packed Community Celebration on the evening of Saturday, November 4, during which we'll reveal the top 25 icons. There will be show-stopping performances, amazing food, and even some special surprises.

But that's just the beginning. IC125 will continue throughout the entire academic year, both on campus and off. Major annual events during the year will provide additional opportunities to recognize and celebrate our 125th birthday, and the college is also planning a series of events around the country in spring 2018.

Above all, we'll celebrate our people. Sure, it's IC's 125th birthday, but this celebration is about so much more than a place and so much more than a college. It's about the relationships that have transformed lives, industries, and communities for decades.

"IC125 is really about our community, and the incredible connections between our students, faculty, staff, alumni, parents, and friends," said Chris Biehn, Parent '16, vice president of institutional advancement and communication. "It's also about impact. Since the college's founding in 1892, the IC community has changed the world, and this is a milestone moment to celebrate that impressive success."