The Division of Student Affairs and Campus Life is pleased to welcome 3 new department directors to the team: Laura Davis, Director of Residential Life and Student Conduct and Community Standards; Caryanne Keenan, Director of New Student and Transition Programs; and Yasin Ahmed, Director of Religious and Spiritual Life. Each of these new directors has a history with Ithaca College and we are excited to welcome them into their new roles.
Laura Davis started her new role as Director of Residential Life and Student Conduct and Community Standards on July 25. Laura has worked in residential life for nearly 20 years, starting when she was a RA during her undergraduate experience. After receiving her master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs, she worked as a Residence Director at Keene State College. She then came to Cornell University, working as Graduate Residence Manager, Assistant Director, and Associate Director in Residential Programs. Laura joined Ithaca College in 2018 as Assistant Director for Housing Services. We are excited for Laura to continue her residential life career as our new Director.
Caryanne Keenan has rejoined the Student Affairs and Campus Life team as the Director of New Student and Transition Programs as of August 1. Since 2004, Caryanne has worked directly for or in consultation with higher ed, empowering people to pursue meaningful lives and careers. She has been in student development roles from Student Support Coordinator, to instructor, to Director of Career Services. As an entrepreneur, Caryanne has delivered customized personal and professional development programs to groups across the country and the world, primarily for womxn, on topics such as Emotional Intelligence, Mentors, and Using the MBTI for Teambuilding. Caryanne worked at Ithaca College from 2009 to 2018 in Career Services. With a bachelor’s in Human Development from Binghamton University and master’s in Education from Elmira College, Caryanne is eager to rejoin the IC community to help students feel a sense of belonging and preparedness as they navigate their college experiences! We are excited to welcome Caryanne back to IC.
Chaplain Yasin Ahmed is assuming the role of Director of Religious and Spiritual Life on August 19 as the Director of Religious and Spiritual Life. Chaplain Ahmed has several years of experience developing young adults' sense of self, commitment to service, and finding their purpose. He intends to be a positive, consistent, and accessible mentor for students. Over the past decade Mr. Ahmed has demonstrated his passion for youth development by serving at Choate-Rosemary, Trinity College, and most recently Cornell University as a chaplain. He is passionate about building bridges between communities. He earned a master's in religious studies with a focus on interfaith relations from Hartford Seminary. While in graduate school, Yasin co-founded Common Ground Services, a non-profit educational institution which breaks down religious biases and stereotypes. He is inspired to do healing work and believes focusing locally and challenging institutional structures is the key to long term community development. In this vein, Mr. Ahmed teaches the Civil Rights Seminar at Ithaca College. Yasin is always down for playing basketball or having a deep conversation over milkshakes. He hopes to join you in understanding your story and connecting with something greater. Congratulations to Yasin Ahmed on his new position at Ithaca College.