And The Award Goes To

By Grace Collins '22, November 3, 2023

Exceptional alumni recognized during Alumni Weekend.

Distinguished IC graduates were honored with awards during the college's 2023 Alumni Weekend. (Photo by Simon Wheeler)

The Ithaca College alumni community, over 70,000 members strong, is filled with change-makers, future-shapers, and innovators. Over 2023 Alumni Weekend, held on South Hill from October 27 to 29, 10 of these standout graduates were recognized for their professional achievements and impact at the annual Alumni Awards ceremony.

Presented by the Ithaca College Alumni Association, the award honor those who have contributed to the success and reputation of the college and serve as an inspiration to current students.

“Alumni have always been a part of the journey of Ithaca College,” said President La Jerne Terry Cornish at the event. “Your story is a part of our story, and vice versa.”

An Outstanding Start

Three members of the Class of 2013 were presented with the Outstanding Young Alumni Award, which is given to alumni who have graduated within the past 5 to 10 years and are recognized as emerging leaders in their fields.

(L to R) Jusan Hamilton '13, Rob Flaherty '13. and Nate Harnett '13

(Photos submitted)

Since his childhood, Jusan Hamilton ’13 had a passion for racing. Originally dreaming of becoming a NASCAR driver himself, his dual degree in integrated marketing communications and sociology led him to a career on the other side of the racetrack.

“It's amazing how much the decision on where to go to college can shape your life, shape the years to come, and then set you on a trajectory to make a difference in a lot of people's lives. Ithaca College is the place that set me on that path.”

Jusan Hamilton '13

Last year, at the age of 31, Hamilton became both the youngest person to serve as Race Director and the first Black Race Director in NASCAR history. He is now the Managing Director of Competition Operations for NASCAR and oversees Race Directors, NASCAR tower staff, and operations at all 38 NASCAR Cup Series events. He’s also led a driver development pipeline with the goal of increasing diversity within the organization

“It's amazing how much the decision on where to go to college can shape your life, shape the years to come, and then set you on a trajectory to make a difference in a lot of people's lives,” Hamilton said. “Ithaca College is the place that set me on that path. The time that I spent here is what gave me the tools to hit the ground running in my career and gave me the tools to be able to reach the people that I have.”

Nate Harnett '13 still carries his IC student ID with him at all times. (Photo by Simon Wheeler)

Also a dual-degree graduate, Rob Flaherty ’13 is putting his television-radio and politics degrees to work with Joe Biden’s reelection campaign, as Deputy Campaign Manager at Biden for President. Flaherty has been overseeing digital strategy for Biden since 2019 and was the first White House Director of Digital Strategy to serve at the Assistant to the President level.

“It’s good to be home,” Flaherty said. “[Ithaca College] is a big hearted, generous community of people thinking about the big broken things around them and what they can do to make it better. I'm grateful to everyone in this room for the part they had in building the institution that so greatly shaped me.”

Following his graduation from IC with a degree in psychology, Nate Harnett ’13 continued his education by completing a PhD in psychology and behavioral neuroscience from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Now an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School’s McLean Hospital, Harnett leads the Neurobiology of Affective and Traumatic Experiences Laboratory. His research seeks to discover why people develop trauma and stress-related disorders like PTSD.

When addressing the crowd during the awards ceremony, Harnett pulled a 10-year-old piece of plastic out of his wallet - his original Ithaca College student ID card.

“I try to carry a piece of Ithaca with me everywhere I go,” he said.

Making A Difference

The youngest winner of the evening, Victor Lopez-Carmen ’17, has made an impact well beyond his years and was recognized with the Humanitarian Alumni Award for his work increasing Indigenous health access. After graduating IC with a degree in health sciences, Lopez-Carmen went on to receive his Master of Public Health degree from Western Sydney University, and is currently a student at Harvard Medical School.

A Dakota and Yaqui writer, he’s a fierce advocate for Indigenous health and founded Translations for our Nations, a project translating accurate COVID-19 information into over 40 Indigenous languages. In 2022, he became the first documented Native American to make the Forbes 30 under 30 list in the Healthcare category.

Victor Lopez-Carmen ’17 and Jo-Linda Greene ’71 were recognized for giving back to their communities.

(Photos submitted)

“Indigenous students are few in these halls, but we have a lot of potential to give back to our communities, and to really do incredible innovative things,” he said. “So much innovation is needed with regard to indigenous health and indigenous issues in general.”

Jo-Linda Greene ’71 was recognized with the Volunteer Service Award for her commitment to giving back to the Ithaca College community. Greene has been heavily involved with the Ithaca College Alumni Association and has served in leadership roles on various committees, including her 50th reunion committee, the Ithaca College National Fund, and alumni committee to raise funds for the Athletics and Events Center.

Stars in their Field

Bruce Beck '78 has been a professional success and has routinely given back to students at IC. (Photo submitted)

Longtime NBC 4 New York sports anchor Bruce Beck ’78 is a perennial all-star, and a perfect selection for the Professional Achievement Award, given annually to an alum who has reached national, regional, or local distinction in their professions and demonstrated long-standing commitment to the College.

Throughout his four decades working in sports broadcasting, Beck has received many accolades, including being named 2021 National Sports Anchor of the Year by Broadcasting & Cable Magazine as the top local sports anchor in America. He has received eight New York Sports Emmys, two Mid-Atlantic Sports Emmys and three national Cable Ace Awards, among other recognition.

Beck has also opened doors for students and alumni to follow in his footsteps. In 2022, he served as the play-by-play announcer for the YES network broadcast of the Cortaca Jug football game at Yankee Stadium, giving current IC students time on the air alongside him.

For winners of the Lifetime Achievement Award, the recognition was a long time coming - this award acknowledges alumni who have completed at least 40 years of their professional career and achieved exceptional success in their profession or philanthropic work. Their lifelong achievements set a standard of excellence to which others may aspire.

David Hyslop ’65 and Gail Williams ’73 were each recognized for their careers dedicated to furthering the arts.

David Hyslop ’65 and Gail Williams ’73 (right) have had long careers in the arts.

(Photo by Simon Wheeler)

A School of Music graduate, Hyslop spent 32 years serving as Chief Executive Officer for some of the nation’s top symphony orchestras, including the Oregon Symphony, St. Louis Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra. To this day, he continues to contribute to the field, serving on the boards of the Greater Minneapolis Convention and Visitors Association, Minneapolis Downtown Council, League of American Orchestras, and Minnesota State Fair Foundation.

Saying he “flunked retirement,” Hyslop is also currently working as Interim CEO of the Reno Philharmonic.

“I’m also available for bat mitzvahs and weddings,” he joked.

“This is a wonderful honor to come back home. I still get butterflies when I drive over [Rt.] 79 and I come into Ithaca, just as I did as a student.”

Gail Williams '73

Williams, also a School of Music graduate, has become an internationally recognized hornist and brass pedagogue throughout her career. She’s been a member of the faculty at Northwestern University since 1989, where she currently serves as horn professor.

Outside of teaching, Williams has performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as Associate Principal Horn for 20 years, the World Orchestra for Peace as Principal Horn for 10 years and is currently Principal Horn of the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra. She’s also released seven CDs.

“This is a wonderful honor to come back home,” Williams said. “I still get butterflies when I drive over [Rt.] 79 and I come into Ithaca, just as I did as a student.”

Ithaca Forever

Retired Associate Professor of Politics Marty Brownstein has left a lasting legacy at Ithaca College. (Photo by Simon Wheeler)

The Alumni Association also recognizes a non-alumnus with the James J. Whalen Meritorious Service Award, given to a person with a significant connection to the campus community. The 2023 honoree, retired Associate Professor of Politics Marty Brownstein, served on the IC faculty for 40 years and was shouted out by several other awardees who had studied under him at IC.

Brownstein saw the teacher-student relationship as central to the Ithaca College experience and pioneered an innovative and inclusive politics curriculum.

“I hadn’t realized until this weekend how much I've missed being on campus,” Brownstein said. “How much I’ve missed seeing students walking around on a Friday afternoon, how much I've missed them having those conversations, how much I missed that student-teacher nexus that remains at the heart of the IC experience. We have to remember what an aspirational place college still is.”

The highest award bestowed by Ithaca College Alumni Association, the Edgar "Dusty" Bredbenner Jr. '50 Distinguished Alumni Award, honors the most involved alumni throughout IC history.

C. William “Bill” Schwab ’68, P’93, MD joins his wife, Marjorie Schwab ‘69 and son-in-law, Samuel Medina ’92, as IC alumni award winners. (Photo by Simon Wheeler)

Alumni Award recognition runs in the family for his year’s winner, C. William “Bill” Schwab ’68, P’93, MD. He joins his wife, Marjorie Schwab ‘69, who won the Bredbenner Award in 1999, as well as his son-in-law, Samuel Medina ’92, a 2002 winner of the Outstanding Young Alumni Award.

Emeritus Professor of Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Schwab is renowned for establishing the standards for trauma wound care worldwide. He has consistently dedicated his time and resources to bettering the IC experience for students, faculty, and staff, and was awarded an honorary doctorate from the college in 2012.

The Schwabs established the Heinz and Judy Koch Research Scholarship program to support undergraduate research in fundamental science. Bill joined the college's Board of Trustees in 1989, serving in numerous leadership positions, including as chair from 2006 to 2012. He continues to serve Ithaca College as an emeritus chair of the board.

“I'm humbled by the people that have gone before me on the stage and the diversity and inclusion of this institution,” Schwab said. “It's just an amazing and transformational place. It's so fabulous to see what's going on in this college. Ithaca College is ‘The Little Engine That Could,’ and it has been, and will always be, a place that transforms people.”