Ithaca College will hold its 131st Commencement on Sunday, May 17, with some 1,012 degrees being awarded at a 10 a.m. ceremony in Glazer Arena in the Athletics & Events Center. The event will be streamed live at ithaca.edu/commencement/livestream.
Delivering the keynote address will be alumna Ana Wilkowski ’95, chief financial officer at the personal health and wellness company Performance Optimal Health. After earning her B.S. degree in finance, Wilkowski went on to build a career on Wall Street. In 2002 she brought her experience in risk management and operational oversight to the co-founding of Performance Optimal Health with her husband, Todd, a 1993 graduate of Ithaca College’s physical therapy program.
Senior Lili Chalfant will represent her fellow graduates as the student speaker at the ceremony. Chalfant will be receiving her B.F.A. degree in Writing for Film, Television, and Emerging Media from the Roy H. Park School of Communications.
Also delivering remarks at Commencement will be Ithaca College President La Jerne Terry Cornish; John Neeson ’84, chair of the Ithaca College Board of Trustees; and Rob Engelsman ’11, president of the Alumni Council.
Ithaca College will award an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts (D.F.A.) degree to director and Playwrights Horizons founder Robert Moss and an honorary Doctor of Laws (LL.D.) degree to former Tompkins County Commissioner of Whole Health Frank Kruppa. Moss has a record of outstanding public achievement in the arts, including serving as Artistic Director of the Hangar Theatre in Ithaca for 14 seasons. Kruppa is being honored for his extraordinary public health leadership in the Ithaca community during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Graduate Hooding and Commencement ceremony will be held in Glazer Arena at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 16, to recognize all Ithaca College students who are earning master’s and doctoral degrees. The featured speaker will be alumnus and faculty member Tim Reynolds ’12, DPT ’14, an assistant professor of exercise science and athletic training in the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance.
The traditional Commencement Eve Concert is scheduled for Saturday at 8:30 p.m. in Glazer Arena. Free and open to the public, it will feature student ensembles and soloists, with the theme “Together We Rise.” The concert runs about one hour and will be followed by a fireworks display.
For more information, visit ithaca.edu/commencement.