After nearly five years of service to the Ithaca College community, Lynn Cortese, the Director of the Office of Access, Opportunity, and Achievement (OAOA) at IC, is departing the college.
Lynn joined IC in September 2017, after holding positions at Le Moyne College and Binghamton University. Since her arrival, the office has significantly expanded its cross-campus collaborations and programming in support of IC students.
Under her leadership, the OAOA team has applied for and managed millions of dollars in grant funding, including the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) grant, the Collegiate Science and Technology Entry Program (CSTEP) grant, the Foster Youth College Success Initiative (FYCSI), and the Careers in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (CSTEM) program. Additionally, Lynn led the team (including President Cornish, Associate Professor Te-Wen Lo, and other higher education collaborators) that recently was awarded a National Science Foundation grant to support the Central New York LSAMP Alliance, involving partners at seven New York colleges and universities. This initiative will help grow the number of students from underrepresented, minoritized communities pursuing degrees in STEM fields and will support the transfer of students from 2- year to 4-year institutions via STEM research opportunities, bridge programs, and faculty and peer mentoring.
The direct impact these grants yield for student scholars’ access and academic success cannot be overstated. Scholars who have been members of the OAOA community during Lynn’s tenure have expressed their appreciation for her support and love. One student commented, “Even when I didn’t believe in myself, she always did and pushed me—and continues to push me—to be the best version of myself as a person and a student.” A colleague who has worked with Lynn and witnessed her work with students and her management of the details of the extraordinarily complicated, large grants under her care described her as “creative, insightful, genuine, and all-around awesome.”
Tiffany Valentin Huff, currently Assistant Director of OAOA, has generously agreed to serve in an Interim Director capacity while we recruit for a new director. We are so grateful to Tiffany for providing wise, experienced leadership during our transition.
Lynn’s contributions in support of her staff and IC students have been tremendous, and it’s been a genuine pleasure working with her for the three years I’ve been in my role. Before she embarks on her next adventure, please feel free to join friends and colleagues and stop by as we host a small reception at the Office of Access, Opportunity, and Achievement (Ground Level, Peggy Ryan Williams Center 072), on May 31st from 2:00-3:00 p.m.