Ithaca College President Shirley M. Collado has been named to the Board of Trustees of the Commission on Independent Colleges and Universities of New York (CICU). CICU represents the public policy interests of 100-plus private, not-for-profit colleges and universities in New York State and advocates for programs that help students take advantage of higher education opportunities.
“As an innovator and expert on collaborations, President Collado will be an asset to our board,” said CICU President Mary Beth Labate. “Her commitment to increasing access, diversity, and equity in higher education aligns with CICU’s mission, and we look forward to adding her dynamic perspective to our board.”
The CICU board has 24 members, all chief executives of a member college or university. Collado will attend her first meeting with the group on May 2.
“The CICU represents an impressive mix of schools in New York State for the purpose of influencing public policy on state and national levels,” Collado said. “I look forward to reflecting Ithaca College’s values and interests in these initiatives as we strive to navigate the best possible ways to serve our students and our communities in the face of ongoing challenges for higher education.”
Collado has held a range of executive leadership positions during her 17 years in higher education. She served as executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer at Rutgers University-Newark and professor of psychology, dean and vice president of student affairs at Middlebury College. Collado has also taught at George Mason University, Georgetown University, Lafayette College, the New School and New York University. In addition, she is a trustee on the Board of Trust at Vanderbilt University, and she serves on the Council of Presidents, an advisory group to the Association of Governing Boards.
Collado is a first-generation college graduate who received a bachelor’s of science in psychology from Vanderbilt and earned master’s and doctorate degrees in clinical psychology from Duke University.