It was a summer of celebration! In June, alumni from across the world converged on our Ithaca campus for Alumni Weekend and at our London Center to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Hearing their stories reminded me of the Thomas Wolfe novel You Can’t Go Home Again. Well, our alumni certainly can! Even if they saw a campus different from the place they left, it was still their alma mater, which they saw with fresh eyes.
They saw a distinguishable Ithaca College spirit that resonates across groups and generations—and even oceans—a symphony of similarities that emerges from the whispers of individual experiences. We felt and celebrated that spirit at Alumni Weekend and at the London Center event, and we thanked the many alumni who so passionately steward all that makes Ithaca College so special.
In March, members of the African-Latino Society (ALS) and its supporters came together on campus to commemorate the 1970 march and sit-in at the president’s office in Job Hall. Then in May, our Lavender Graduation celebrated the educational journeys of our LGBTQ+ graduates in IC’s 22nd such ceremony (originally called the Rainbow Reception). At both events, our campus welcomed people who had not always felt welcomed, and it celebrated communities and identities that had not always felt celebrated. Where these groups had once found adversaries, they now find allies, including countless students who thank them for the trails they blazed and join them in a commitment to make campus even better. Our hope is that the seal and shield of Ithaca College continue to grow into symbols of a place where all students and alumni feel heard, seen, and valued.
Whether our alumni have served as catalysts for change, connectors to the past, or both, we are lucky they are such fiercely protective and passionate stewards who want what is best for their alma mater. We continue to build an engaged community of students and alumni. Despite their different generations, identities, majors, and schools, they are united by the Ithaca College experience.
We saw countless examples of our engaged community during this summer’s celebrations. The fact that our alumni return to give of their time, money, and other resources to help future generations of students is not just an act of remembrance for the Ithaca College of our memory but also an act of faith in the Ithaca College of our future.
With gratitude,
La Jerne Terry Cornish
President