Melodye MacAlpine serves as Dean of Student Success in the Academic Support Center. She joined Ithaca College in March 2024 after more than 20 years working in higher education. Originally rooted in student affairs, Dr. MacAlpine’s career has evolved to encompass broader administrative leadership while maintaining her commitment to student-centered excellence.
Throughout her career, Dr. MacAlpine has focused on advocating for students across diverse academic disciplines, working from the perspective that higher education institutions should continuously improve processes and approaches to better serve students as they navigate their educational journey. She proudly calls herself a “policy nerd” because she loves examining the broader “whys” and “hows” of higher education, always looking for innovative ways to address persistent challenges in student success.
In her current role, Dr. MacAlpine oversees comprehensive academic support services designed to help students achieve their full potential. Her approach integrates her deep understanding of student development with data-driven strategies and cross-campus collaboration to create holistic support systems. Additionally, Dr. MacAlpine finds it especially rewarding to support female-identifying students and colleagues and seeks opportunities to lead the way in those areas. Her dissertation research explored gender barriers to leadership for women in student affairs.
When she’s not at work or spending time with her husband and two daughters, Dr. MacAlpine loves to read and dabble in the kitchen. She has also dipped her toe into the wine-making world, taking fruit from her yard to make wine from blueberries, plums, and kiwi.
Dissertation: Exploring Gendered Barriers to Higher Education Leadership for Women in Midlevel Student Affairs Roles
Education
Ed.D., Learning and Leading; University of Portland, Oregon
M.Ed., Student Personnel Administration in Higher Education; Springfield College, Massachusetts
B.A. Psychology, St. John Fisher College (now St. John Fisher University), Rochester, NY