IC News

On Tuesday, August 29, the entire Ithaca College community had the opportunity to hear directly from senior leadership at the annual All-College Welcome, which offers insights into college operations, introductions to new leaders, and an overview of the institutional priorities for the year ahead.

President La Jerne Terry Cornish welcomed students, faculty, and staff and shared some highlights from the summer, which included the July 1 arrivals of Mark Eyerly as vice president for marketing and communications and Laine Norton as vice president for philanthropy and engagement. As members of the President’s Cabinet, they will contribute to shaping the strategic vision for the college.

Cornish also introduced three additions to the Cabinet: Shana Gore, interim associate vice president of enrollment and student success; Susan Bassett, associate vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics and campus recreation; and Christina Moylan, interim dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance.

Cornish noted that following a Cabinet retreat in early July, the leadership team left with a refreshed sense of clarity on institutional priorities and efforts across campus.

“We laid important groundwork this summer to position IC to better embody its mission to be a college committed to student success, engagement, and well-being,” Cornish said. “We want to continue to put student success at the center of everything we do.”

Cornish expressed her excitement about the 1,300 first-year and transfer students who were formally welcomed to IC at the August 22 Convocation ceremony. She detailed the college’s four institutional priorities for the coming year, all of which are based on the Ithaca Forever strategic plan:

• Improve Ithaca College’s financial sustainability through the development and implementation of a comprehensive marketing and enrollment strategy that results in a stabilized enrollment pattern of 1,380 to 1,420 new full-time undergraduate students each year.
• Increase student retention and graduation through a data-informed student success and retention strategy.
• Develop a comprehensive philanthropy and engagement strategy to increase financial support for the college while also supporting our enrollment, student retention, and student success goals.
• Continue to build the infrastructure that will facilitate the college’s transformation from a school-based mindset to an institutional mindset, fostering student exploration and faculty collaboration through the development of systems, structures, and processes that are institutional rather than school specific, where appropriate.

Campus Collaborations
The leaders of the three campus representative councils had the opportunity to introduce themselves and their work.

Associate professor of biology David Gondek, chair of Faculty Council and parent of a Class of 2027 student, provided updates on Faculty Council operations and initiatives.

“I had a really unique sort of encounter with the college this year with my son starting at IC,” he said. “I loved the energy of Orientation and the excitement of coming to college this year, and I'm excited for the Faculty Council, along with our colleagues, to continue that motion and energy and really engage with this campus community this year.”

He then shared some of the specific goals that the Faculty Council will be working towards this year, including improving lines of communication and addressing inconsistencies in processes across Ithaca’s five academic schools—an example of the college’s priority of transforming from a school-based mindset to an institution-based mindset.

Marilyn Dispensa, instructional designer with the Center for Instructional Design and Educational Technology and chair of Staff Council, was next on stage. She reminded the audience of the purpose of the Staff Council, which represents 751 staff members across 129 departments at IC.

“We advocate for staff, and work to foster engagement with the community and facilitate communication between the staff and the administration,” Dispensa said.

After recounting several successful social and learning events held over the summer, Dispensa shared upcoming opportunities for staff members to continue to connect with one another across campus.

Student Governance Council (SGC) president Carli McConnell ’24 expressed her excitement to work with students, faculty, staff, and administrators to foster student engagement and improve the IC experience.

She shared that several initiatives are already in the works, including pilot programs for student advising, town hall meetings, and guest speaker presentations.

“We are really thrilled to be working collaboratively with the senior leadership team for the enhancement of our fellow students’ experience here at IC,” McConnell said. “We are ready to do a lot this upcoming year, and we are really looking forward to working with all of our constituents to meet their exact needs.”

The two new vice presidents then took the stage to share their excitement to have joined the Ithaca College leadership team.

Eyerly, who had worked as a writer at Cornell University early in his career, outlined his vision for the future of marketing and communications strategies at IC.

“I have a long-standing admiration for this college, and a longtime affinity for the city of Ithaca and its surrounding communities,” he said. “So, for this Pennsylvania boy, standing here today feels a lot like coming home.”

Norton thanked everyone at the college for the work they do to engage with students, alumni, and other community partners.

“Our work is really built upon the foundations that are made by the rest of campus,” she said. “Thank you for making Ithaca College an institution ripe for impactful philanthropic investment.”

President Cornish ended the meeting by noting two upcoming events at which more information will be shared with the campus community regarding fall enrollment figures and the college’s financial status—a Dollars and Sense presentation on Sept. 21 and the State of the College gathering on Oct. 26.

“As I think about beginning my sixth year at Ithaca College, and my second year as your president, I do so with hope, with an open heart and with excitement for what I know we are going to be. We are on the precipice of something amazing, and it’s because of everybody in this room,” Cornish concluded.