Updates and Accomplishments

Financial Sustainability:

The Fall 2022 enrollment and yield of new undergraduate students exceeded our budgeted target (1,309 new, first-time full-time students and 101 full-time transfer students vs. a budget of 1,270 and 80). Last year the college aimed to increase yield to 12% from 11%, even with annual declines in yield happening nationally. Instead, it increased yield to 14.0%.

Among the strategies positively impacting yield were our midstream adjustment to our financial aid awarding strategy as well as the success of our emphasis on campus visits and the four-year financial forecast and direct cost increase caps. As a result, for the 2022-23 cycle, we focused our efforts on communicating earlier, more effectively, and more frequently about the visit grant and all aspects of the Ithaca Commitment. We have also expanded campus visit opportunities for admitted and prospective students.

Mark Eyerly, Vice President for Marketing and Communications joined Ithaca College in July 2023. This new and critical position will work closely with the division of Enrollment and Student Success to ensure that Ithaca College’s marketing and enrollment strategies are aligned and in service to our enrollment goals.

Philanthropy also plays an important role in the college’s financial future.  This year, the Ithaca College community came together to raise more than $2.5 million dollars for Giving Day 2023.

Laine Norton, Vice President for Philanthropy and Engagement joined Ithaca College in July 2023. Her experience and expertise will greatly enhance this important division of the college and will provide critical leadership to help the college increase its alumni engagement and philanthropic support for the college.

Increasing Student Retention:

The Center for Student Success and Retention (CSSR) was launched in August 2022. Since that time, CSSR has strategically built campus partnerships across the college to further student success & retention goals. Notable successes include launching a comprehensive research project which now includes formerly siloed data from across campus, bringing together dozens of campus offices to improve our summer student onboarding communication and process, and partnering with Academic Affairs to pre-register all students in a first-semester schedule.

Through a collaboration between the Division of Information Technology and Analytics, the offices of Academic Affairs, Student Affairs and Academic Life, and Enrollment and Student Success; the CSSR launched the Student Success Dashboard and the Academic Concerns system.

The CSSR is also collaborating with the Center for Faculty Excellence (CFE) on sessions to help faculty develop strategies to better support students. They will also learn from a survey on faculty needs to structure resources for faculty to strengthen their capacity to implement high impact retention practices.

A Transformative Learning Experience Exemplifying the Tenets of Theory, Practice, and Performance:

In the summer of 2022, Career Services was intentionally shifted from the Office of Student Affairs and Campus Life to the Marketing and Enrollment Strategy Division – seeing a direct link between enrollment and career pathways.  Career Services was then rebranded, becoming, the Center for Career Exploration and Development (CCED).  One of its first initiatives was launching a Career Opportunity Week (COW) in January. Significant strides have been made by the Center’s director to develop a strategic direction for the office, assessing strengths and gaps as well as building internal and external partnerships to focus the center’s work and impact.

An experiential learning initiative committee was also established which met twice a month throughout the 22-23 academic year. It conducted a cross-campus audit to identify all experiential learning opportunities offered at IC, completed an internal and external benchmark study to help determine the college’s next steps, and will provide committee sponsors with recommendations for opportunities to enhance our experiential learning programming and marketing.  

Cultivating an Ithaca Forever Community and Alumni Engagement:

The President travelled to 25 cities as part of her Inaugural Tour to meet with and engage Ithaca College alumni. Through her participation in over 40 individual meetings and events, alumni communicated their enthusiasm and desires to re-engage Ithaca College and each other through campus based and regional opportunities.  

The November 12, 2022, Cortaca Jug game at iconic Yankee Stadium was the second largest gathering in Division III football history behind only the 2019 Cortaca Jug at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Ithaca College’s team experienced a 34-17 win over rival SUNY Cortland before a crowd of 40,232.  The game was not only a point of pride for the college but served as the centerpiece of the 2022-2023 alumni reunion weekend, IC in the City, where thousands of alumni attended events that included class dinners, an alumni awards presentation, an ICUnity gathering, a meet-and-greet with IC’s president, La Jerne Terry Cornish, and a show of music, drama, and dance presented by IC alumni and students during IC on Broadway: South Hill State of Mind.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging:

The Center for Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging was launched in the summer of 2023.  Their work began July 1, 2023 under the leadership of Luca Mauer from Student Affairs and Campus Life, Dr. Belisa Gonzalez from Academic Affairs, and a soon to be hired leader in Human Resources.  The goal is to provide focus and coordination, build institution-wide accountability measures, and create sustainable processes and support systems to carry out this important work.

The Office of IDEAS was renamed the BIPOC Unity Center. This more closely aligns with the mission of the office.  Their continued charge is to coordinate initiatives to create a sense of belonging for BIPIC students through support, resources, education, and programs at the Ithaca College. The BIPOC Unity Center and its programs are open to all students.

The Antisemitism Task Force made up of faculty, staff, and students continues its important work and meets regularly.

Ithaca College’s Physical Campus:

Butterfield Turf Field: A major gift from 1981 graduate Monica Bertino Wooden will fund the replacement of the natural-grass field with artificial turf and the installation of lighting at Ithaca College’s Butterfield Stadium. The playing surface will be named Bertino Field at Butterfield Stadium in recognition of her donation of $3 million for the project, which will greatly expand the uses of the premier outdoor gathering space on campus. The field will be ready for the college’s home football game on September 30, 2023.

Terraces Residence Hall Renovation: The bathroom, hallway, and lighting restoration in six buildings was completed (Phase 1).  This was a long overdue update. While it is a small change, it will go a long way to improving the conditions of those buildings.  Phase 2 will begin next year on the remaining six buildings.

Purchase of 929/931 Danby Rd.: The purchase of 929/931 was completed on June 29. The current tenant (ITE) will remain in the building for up to two years.

Purchase of 917 Danby Road: This purchase was completed on June 29.

London Sale: The sale of Colliers Wood, a small residential property located 40 minutes from the London Center, was completed on August 18 for £710,000 ($900,000 USD).

Hill Center Classroom Named to Honor William A. Newlands ’50.  The late William A. Newlands ’50, was a physical education graduate and student-athlete who went on to have a celebrated career as a high school teacher and coach. A generous bequest from the estate of William and his wife, Evelyn, established an endowment in athletics that will benefit IC student-athletes for generations to come.  

New Alumni Circle Promenade ceremonial ribbon cutting took place on May 19, 2023 thanks to the generosity of IC alumnus and Board of Trustees member Peter Taffae and the Taffae Family Foundation. 

Coddington Road Community Center – Ithaca College partnered with Coddington Road Community Center to house a portion of their childcare services on our campus while the center undergoes a major expansion project. 

• Increased philanthropy and engagement, i.e. Giving Day which raised more than $2.2.million; For FY22, total giving saw a 19% increase over FY21 at $7.7 million including almost $1.3 million in unrestricted funds.
• Developed cross-sector partnerships, such as the collaboration with Cayuga Health System, to provide student health services
• Advanced the campus master plan to improve space utilization that will enhance the student experience and promote teaching and learning, including capital investment in renovation of Dillingham Plaza and main campus entry.
• Launched the Teaching Resource Allocation Committee (TRAC) to advise the Provost on continuing faculty line allocations  

• Implemented multiple components of the new pricing and value strategy, now called The Ithaca Commitment, including elimination of the CSS Profile, a revamped financial aid package and adoption of a four-year financial forecast with direct cost cap for new students, and individual virtual financial aid counseling appointments.
• Built and implemented a new, comprehensive, and integrated yield campaign resulting in an increase in yield of three points, meeting new student enrollment goals for Fall 2022
• Created and launched the new Center for Student Success and Retention which will bring synergy, efficiency, and effectiveness to student retention efforts across campus.
• Created a lower-cost on-campus housing and dining option to provide a high value, affordable alternative while retaining seniors and graduate students in campus housing
• Initiated a second instance of the Slate constituent relationship management (CRM) tool to strengthen support of and engagement with current students.

• Continued public health management and emergency preparedness efforts resulted in successful in-person semesters in both Fall 2021 and Spring 2022
• Implemented changes to face covering policy consistent with Tompkins County Health Department’s guidance
• As of May 4, students, faculty, and staff accessing campus were no longer be required to complete the daily screening form, and students were no longer required to display their health badge to access areas across campus.

• President’s Office established support for LGBTQ Fellowship
• Multiple SACL departments are directly devoted to DEIB work, including the Center for IDEAS, LGBTQ Center, Office of Religious and Spiritual Life, MLK Scholars Program and First Gen Center, and Student Equity and Belonging
• Office of Student Engagement representative events included: Social Action Leadership Retreat, Women Leaders Series, Leading in a Diverse World, and a Student Leadership Institute certificate in “Leading in a Diverse World”
• Sexual Violence Prevention Committee events calendar 2022 included:
  • Understanding Your Identity (IC Responsibility)
  • Bystander training
  • Self Care & Supporting Survivor
• Active engagement with alumni group ICUnity and AABD D&I committee
• Fundraising for several different funds and scholarships that support African American, Latino, Asian, American, or Native American (ALANA) students
• Continued our partnership with the United World Colleges in order to recruit more diverse international students.
• Created the position of Director of Faculty Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging in the Provost’s Office, to coordinate, support, and lead faculty DEIB work across campus.​​​​​​​

• Summer Restorative Fridays
• Support for community in the wake of local, regional and national tragedies
• Bonuses for essential staff who were required to report to work on campus during the pandemic
• Changed eligibility requirement for tuition remission benefit to only one year of service
• Offering enrollment into the Sanvello Health and Wellness App for all campus community members
• Creation of the Wellness Leadership Council charged with coordinating and centralizing information about Health and Wellness Resources available for the campus community.

As of April 13, 2021, Ithaca College has received provisional accreditation and approval to launch our Master of Science in Physician Assistant (PA) Studies, which will be housed in our School of Health Sciences and Human Performance (HSHP). We are particularly enthusiastic about this program because the demand for physician assistants continues to grow rapidly nationwide, creating significant professional opportunities for our students. We look forward to welcoming the inaugural class of 30 PA students into this graduate program this fall.

Our strategic plan activates us to educate, engage, and empower through theory, practice, and performance. The PA Program aligns tightly with this mission, doing so by identifying, actualizing, and leveraging areas of growth and potential to enable this college to evolve in a bold and student-centered direction that embraces the promise of the future. 

Nine institutional goals comprise Ithaca College’s strategic plan, Ithaca Forever, one of which is to “determine and maintain an appropriate and sustainable size for our programs and structures, and the associated resources, at every level of the institution.” 

February 24, 2021, marks a milestone in the implementation of our plan, with President Shirley M. Collado and Provost La Jerne Terry Cornish’s approval of all of the recommendations in the Shape of the College final report. This report outlines necessary changes to our academic affairs division to align the size of the faculty in right proportion to the size of the student body and our academic programs in right proportion to student interest and need. The provisions of the Shape of the College report will begin to be implemented in academic year 2021-22. 

Read the Shape of the College report here.