Ithaca Forever

By Robin Roger, July 24, 2018
Ithaca College concludes its year-long 125th anniversary celebration.

At the end of August, Ithaca College will conclude its 125th anniversary. As in the lyrics of the college’s alma mater, “Ithaca Forever,” community members have reveled in their memories and are looking ahead to what may come next.

The yearlong event began with the 25th annual Founder’s Day Concert in September paying tribute to Patrick Conway, a teacher at the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, which later became Ithaca College. The Weekend on South Hill, which took place in November, celebrated the college’s anniversary and included the inauguration of our new president, an academic symposium titled Conversation: Started and the unveiling of the college’s top 25 icons. Regional events followed in New York, Boston, Chicago and Los Angeles. People joined the celebration virtually by sharing their favorite memories, stories about the faculty members who inspired them, and throwback photos, and using the #IC125 hashtag.

Throughout the yearlong celebration, alumni, students, faculty, and staff have shared what keeps the college near and dear to their hearts. They reflected on the relationships they formed, the transformations they experienced, and the impact the college had on them. They also talked about how IC inspired them to make the world a better place, and they expressed their hopes for IC’s future.

View the following videos to see what they had to say.

Relationships

“What makes Ithaca College what it is, are the thousands of unique relationships that are built here,” said Cornell Woodson ’09.

Transformations

“Sometimes I get to see the moment when a student blossoms,” said Luca Maurer, director of the Center for LGBT Education, Outreach, and Services.

Impact

“You don’t leave…the campus of Ithaca College without wanting to change the world,” said David Muir ’95. “The tools that we all have today give us a powerful voice, and we have a responsibility to use it to help others who might not have one.”

Wishes

As the last verse of the alma mater goes: “Here’s to Ithaca, my Ithaca, how bright your vision seems; may all your sons and daughters dare to live their dreams.”

“My wish would be that the next 125 would be pretty glorious for the college,” said President Shirley M. Collado.