Ithaca College President Shirley M. Collado Named Next President and CEO of College Track

By Dave Maley, July 8, 2021

Provost and Executive Vice President La Jerne Terry Cornish to Serve as Interim IC President.

President Shirley M. Collado with students.

(Photo submitted)

The comprehensive college completion program College Track announced today that Ithaca College President Shirley M. Collado will become its next president and chief executive officer on Jan. 10, 2022. The Ithaca College Board of Trustees has named Provost and Executive Vice President La Jerne Terry Cornish as interim president, effective Aug. 30 and for the entirety of the 2021-22 academic year.

President Collado will assume the role of senior advisor to the interim president and the board of trustees through Dec. 31, 2021, helping to ensure a smooth and successful transition for Provost Cornish as well as working on distinct external projects that are currently in-process to help advance the college’s strategic plan.

The board will be using the time during the transition to thoughtfully consider and evaluate the best approach to planning for the next Ithaca College president.

In a message to the campus community, board of trustees chair David H. Lissy ’87 and vice chair Jim Nolan ’77 expressed confidence in Cornish’s ability to lead the college during the coming year. They noted that since her appointment as provost in 2018, Cornish has played a significant role in partnering with Collado on decision-making processes related to the overall direction of the institution.

“I want to thank the board of trustees for placing its trust in me and in our leadership team, and I look forward to working on behalf of our students, faculty, and staff to maintain the positive trajectory generated by the launch of our strategic plan.”

Provost and Executive Vice President La Jerne Terry Cornish

“She steered the development and implementation of the Ithaca Forever strategic plan and helped ensure that students and faculty were able to successfully navigate the challenges of the pandemic this past academic year — one of the most challenging in the college’s history,” they wrote. “We are very confident that the strong and steady leadership that she has already demonstrated, in concert with an accomplished and dedicated senior leadership team, will provide the continuity and momentum that will serve the college well as we continue to achieve forward progress.”

Cornish said that she is honored to be given this opportunity.

“I want to thank the board of trustees for placing its trust in me and in our leadership team, and I look forward to working on behalf of our students, faculty, and staff to maintain the positive trajectory generated by the launch of our strategic plan,” said Cornish. “I also want to thank President Collado for establishing such a solid foundation from which to advance this important work.”

On behalf of the board of trustees, Lissy and Nolan offered their congratulations to Collado on her new appointment at College Track and expressed their deepest appreciation for her service to Ithaca College over the past four years.

“While we are saddened that she will be departing the college, we are pleased that she is being given this extraordinary opportunity to help support college access for deserving students — a personal and professional passion that she has brought to all her work at IC.”

“I believe so sincerely in the promise of Ithaca College, and I will always cherish the exceptional people within this community whose lives I have been honored to be a part of.”

President Shirley M. Collado

Co-founded in 1997 by philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, College Track works in collaboration with the Emerson Collective to remove the academic, financial, and social-emotional barriers that keep first-generation students from low-income communities from completing college and thriving in the workforce.

Collado took office on July 1, 2017, as Ithaca College’s ninth president. In her own message to the campus community, she said the decision to leave was among the most difficult she has ever made.

“During the past four years, we have embarked upon extraordinary work together, making significant strides toward ensuring the resiliency of Ithaca College and its ability to shine as a place that offers a vibrant and student-centered higher education experience,” said Collado. “I believe so sincerely in the promise of Ithaca College, and I will always cherish the exceptional people within this community whose lives I have been honored to be a part of. Many of you have become trusted friends and valued colleagues. And to our students — you are the true promise of Ithaca College, and you will stay in my heart forever.”

Collado said that College Track is an impactful national organization that mirrors the ideals of and works alongside places like Ithaca College to achieve the goals of an accessible, affordable, and supportive college experience.

“I am deeply honored that Laurene Powell Jobs has selected me to partner with her and lead an organization in collaboration with Emerson Collective that is fully dedicated to the issues we have been addressing as a college community — issues that I have prioritized throughout my life’s work and career.”

Lissy and Nolan noted that Ithaca College is filled with incredibly talented and passionate people dedicated to having an enduring impact on its students and asked the college community to embrace its future potential.

“We recognize that while we face many challenges ahead, our opportunities are even greater. The board of trustees remains steadfastly committed to the ongoing realization of the Ithaca Forever strategic plan, which was created and endorsed by our campus community with the goal of achieving a bright and sustainable future for IC. With that in mind, it is our sincere hope that you join us in welcoming Provost Cornish into her new role and in helping to effect a smooth and successful leadership transition in this coming academic year.”