IC News

Ithaca College Provost La Jerne Terry Cornish and associate professor of history Jason Freitag announced the 13 members of the steering committee who will join them in overseeing the college’s strategic planning process during a kickoff event on Thursday, September 27, in Emerson Suites.

“Jason and I are super excited about the composition of the steering committee, which is truly reflective of the IC community with respect to knowledge, skills, diverse perspectives and forward thinking,” said Cornish, who along with Freitag will chair the committee.

The committee members announced comprise students, staff, faculty, alumni, trustees and Ithaca community members. The members are:

• Raquel Jacobs ’20, integrative studies major
• Mark Scaglione ’22, journalism major
• Casey Kendall, executive director of applications and infrastructure, Information Technology
• Tiffany Valentin, CSTEP coordinator and HEOP/CSTEP/CSTEM counselor, Office of State Grants
• Paula Ioanide, associate professor, Center for the Study of Culture, Race and Ethnicity
• Dawn Pierce, assistant professor, Department of Performance Studies
• Gordon Rowland, professor, Department of Strategic Communication
• Gerard Turbide, vice president, Division of Enrollment Management
• Bonnie Prunty, dean of students, Division of Student Affairs and Campus Life
• Luvelle Brown, superintendent, Ithaca City School District; Ithaca College Board of Trustees
• David Fleisher II ’91, Parent ’20, CEO, Firstrust Financial Resources; Ithaca College Board of Trustees
• Cedrick-Michael Simmons ’14, doctoral student, Boston College
• Schelley Michell-Nunn, director of human resources, City of Ithaca

Cornish and Freitag, along with Ithaca College President Shirley M. Collado, selected the committee members from a pool of more than 100 people nominated by members of the campus community.

“I was thrilled to see so many nominations for this committee — people from all areas of our Ithaca College community who were willing to step forward and volunteer for this important work. I give my deepest gratitude to our 13 committee members and to our co-chairs,” said Collado. “I look forward to continuing our powerful momentum as we engage in this critical, collaborative process throughout the academic year. Now is the time for us to be bold as we honor and reflect our college’s values and priorities.”

Those in attendance at the kickoff event were invited to share their top three areas of focus for the strategic planning process. With input from the college community, the steering committee will develop a set of themes around which the planning process will proceed.

“It’s good to see things getting started, and it’s exciting to see what’s going to be coming in this yearlong process,” said Eric Woods, a web developer in Information Technology, who attended the kickoff meeting.

A draft process for creating the strategic plan was introduced at the fall 2018 all-college gathering on August 23. The strategic plan design team asked community members to submit feedback on the draft process, which was structured to maximize transparency and inclusiveness.

Students will be invited to share their hopes for the future of the college during an all-student gathering on Monday, October 1, at 9 p.m. in Emerson Suites.