Chronicle of Higher Education Interviews Ithaca College President

By Danica Fisher ’05, June 16, 2020

Shirley M. Collado discusses how to sustain the college business model during global crisis.

Shirley M. Collado is interviewed by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Ithaca College President Shirley M. Collado participated in a virtual forum held by the Chronicle of Higher Education on how to sustain the college business model in a global crisis on Monday, June 15.

In a live presentation, Collado spoke with three other panelists and moderator Scott Carlson, Senior Writer at the Chronicle of Higher Education. Collado talked about changes the institution has made to adapt to the COVID-19 crisis including giving back over $9 million of un-used room and board for the spring semester.

Sustaining the College Business Model in a Global Crisis

“We're going into this year knowing that, financially, our planning will ebb and flow,” said Collado. “We have to be ready for a variety of scenarios that are going to be most importantly, taking care of our students and our employees.”

Collado also talked about how this crisis has accelerated change in higher education. “I think we're in a change that will be permanent in some ways. I don't think we're going to go back to ever just resuming business as usual,” said Collado. “I think some of those ways of collaborating are going to stick, and hopefully this time of us proving what we're capable of will make the future less scary.”

Collado spoke about how our ability to be agile during this time of crisis is important. “No matter how much we communicate in this uncertain time, we're still grappling with balancing hope and reality,” said Collado. “We’re trying to be bold and realistic as we think about the long-term future of the college, regardless of COVID. This is not a one-time thing; this is a long-haul thing.”