Coming Home to South Hill

By Grace Collins ‘22, July 18, 2024

Alumni Weekend 2024 reinvigorates IC community connections.

Alumni Weekend returning to the summer also brought back fireworks to South Hill.

(Photo by Simon Wheeler)

Officially welcoming summer to the Ithaca College campus, alumni came home to South Hill June 21–23 for Alumni Weekend 2024. An annual celebration, the three-day affair marked the reunion’s return as a summer event after many years of it taking place in the fall.

The summertime vibes were apparent from the start of the weekend, which drew hundreds of alumni and their family members. With representation ranging from the classes of 1960 to 2023, connections were forged across decades and disciplines as attendees took part in events and activities on campus and around Ithaca.

Although it was moved inside due to the weather, the Kickback on the Quad event still gave alumni a chance to connect. (Photo by Simon Wheeler)

The weekend started with Friday’s Kick Back on the Quad—a chance for classmates to reunite and reminisce over live music and food—and concluded with a fireworks display, evoking “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd gathered around the fountains at Dillingham Center. Many alumni arrived early to take in an iconic sunset view over Cayuga Lake, including Steven Schopp ’66 and his wife, Rae. “There’s nothing like sitting here and seeing the lake in the distance,” Schopp said. “It’s always beautiful.”

Schopp, who returned to campus to be recognized as an Alumni Award winner, was a music major who spent his first two years at IC in the college’s downtown classrooms and witnessed the development of the South Hill campus. Ithaca College has been a constant throughout Schopp’s life—not only did his daughter, Laurie Schopp,MM ’96, follow in his footsteps, but he’s also supervised dozens of IC’s music education students as a longtime music teacher on Long Island. “They were very well-qualified, always the best students,” he said. “I always enjoyed that. I have good memories of IC and truly enjoyed my time here.”

Prior to the fireworks display, IC’s president, La Jerne Terry Cornish, led the attendees in a toast, celebrating their passion for Ithaca College and the bridges that bring the community together. “Your commitment to visit your alma mater and each other is a testament to what makes this place special. Your love and passion for the college inspires me and moves me. I celebrate the bridges that bring us together—past, present, and always,” Cornish said. “Bridges require a firm foundation, like the ones you received at Ithaca College, where you laid the foundational stones that helped you start your journey. Bridges must also be designed for flexibility. Across the generations they must adapt to new conditions, and they require constant care and upkeep, much like our campus, our community, and our programs. Most importantly, the bridges got you where you were going and also brought you back home to South Hill.”

The weekend's events included the annual Alumni Award Ceremony, a Women in Leadership Panel, and ICUnity mix and mingle, and other events both on campus and in downtown Ithaca.

(Photos by Simon Wheeler)

Throughout the weekend, alumni were encouraged to get out into the community and reconnect with all that Ithaca has to offer, including historical walking tours of downtown, free shuttles to and from the Ithaca Farmers Market, and discounted tickets to the Ithaca Reggae Fest. Boat tours of Cayuga Lake also provided a unique experience not typically available in the fall.

Despite the summer setting, academic and professional programming was available to attendees in abundance, including town halls with school deans, tours of academic buildings, a professional development mini-conference, and a women's leadership panel.

Melanie Pritchard ’89, a communications alumna from the last graduating class before the Roy H. Park School of Communications was built, reflected on her time at IC. She fondly remembered her relationship with Betty George, a long-time Ithaca College employee who recently passed away. “I was a student worker for the Instructional Resource Center out of the fifth floor of the library, where Betty was a department assistant,” Pritchard said. “She became a dear friend, like a mother to me, and we stayed in touch over the years. She loved Ithaca College, and her heart was here. I just consider it in my mind to be the greatest college,” she added. “You can’t beat the town, and I love coming back here. It was a lot of fun as a student, especially in the School of Communications, doing hands-on work on the TV shows right from day one.”

“I just consider it in my mind to be the greatest college. You can’t beat the town, and I love coming back here. It was a lot of fun as a student..right from day one.”

Melanie Pritchard ’89

For Camille Doherty ’93, a newly elected member of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, Ithaca College has a newfound special meaning now that her daughter, Mureen Doherty ’26, also calls South Hill home. “I didn’t realize how important it was to me until she made up her mind to come to IC,” Doherty said. “Some of my favorite memories are meeting my roommates, working as a student justice, being part of the phenomenal HEOP program… Ithaca College is where I found my tribe.”

Doherty’s college roommate, Robbie Black ’93, was also in attendance. “My time here at IC was wonderful,” Black said. “It was a beautiful place to come of age. I had the best experiences, and I made a group of lifelong friends.”

Best in Class

Saturday evening’s Alumni Awards Celebration, a marquee event of the weekend—and a favorite of recurring attendees—honored standout members of the Ithaca College community whose exceptional professional accomplishments and volunteer services have contributed to the success and reputation of the college. “Our alumni remind us that their time in college was more than just climbing the hills between classes, meeting friends downtown, studying on the quad, or getting a diploma,” said President Cornish at the ceremony. “It was a transformative experience that helped mold them into the individuals that they are today.”

The IC Alumni Association Board of Directors recognized nine outstanding members of the college’s community. You can read more about each winner here.

Donette O. Samuel ’14 (left) and K.J. Hammond ’16.

Donette O. Samuel ’14, Outstanding Young Alumni Award: A senior public affairs specialist at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Samuel was awarded the EPA’s highest honor in 2022 for her community engagement work. “I was accepted into IC as a biochemistry major and graduated as a public and community health major,” said Samuel. “Changing my major was very confusing, and I had a really hard time because I liked to see things through. But in that year, I learned how to pivot, and I learned how to be flexible.”

K.J. Hammond ’16, Outstanding Young Alumni Award: Lead producer for Overtime Elite, a basketball league that prepares athletes for professional careers, Hammond recognized his time as formative. “When I got here, I didn't really know what path I would take, what I wanted to do, or who I wanted to be,” he said. “I walked around this campus as a psychology major in my first semester and found the Park School of Communications. Four years there is what molded me to who I am today, thanks to the experience and education I received.”

Bruce Clarke ’67 (left) and Carrie Callahan ’02, MS ’03.

Carrie Callahan ’02, MS ’03, Professional Achievement Award: Cofounder of Empower Spinal Cord Injury Inc., which provides intensive rehabilitation and recreation services to people with spinal cord injuries, Callahan was recognized with an Excellence in SCI Care Award in 2017. “Two things that I brought away from my time at IC were passion and persistence,” she said. “I remember taking a class that talked about psychosocial issues related to rehabilitation, and the professor was talking about the impact that you can have on someone's life as a physical therapist after they go through a spinal cord injury. This was the spark that was where my passion began.”

Bruce Clarke ’67, Volunteer Service Award: A lawyer and playwright who teaches fiction writing to inmates at a jail in Washington, D.C., Clarke actively supports diversity initiatives at IC through ICUnity. “When I arrived at Ithaca College in 1963, the student body was almost entirely white. As an alumnus, I wanted to contribute to changing that,” Clarke said. “I was lucky enough to find ICUnity, which is dedicated to supporting diversity-related programs and events that bring people from different backgrounds and identities together. My hope is to be an ally and an agent for change.”

Tanya Hutchins ’89 (left) and Michelle Strucke ’07.

Tanya Hutchins ’89, Volunteer Service Award: Former president of the IC Alumni Association Board of Directors, Hutchins engaged nearly 4,000 IC alumni through her innovative networking. “In a world with so much turmoil, it makes me feel so good to give back to the IC community,” she said. “It's the feeling that I get making connections between the people that really keeps me going. Giving truly is more important than receiving, and it just lights up my heart to connect people.”

Michelle Strucke ’07, Humanitarian Alumni Award: A dedicated human rights advocate, Strucke directs the Humanitarian Agenda and Human Rights Initiative at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, D.C. “When I transferred to Ithaca, I feel like it was the greatest gift because the teachers really wanted to teach. There were lines out the door to the politics department professors that I was waiting to talk to,” Strucke said. “I came to them as a kind of angry person that was upset about the state of the world and wanted to do something to change it, and they really embraced me with open arms.”

Nancy Pringle (left) and Judith M. Linden ’73.

Nancy Pringle, James J. Whalen Meritorious Service Award: After 25 years serving five IC presidents as general counsel and secretary to the board of trustees at Ithaca College, Pringle received honorary trustee status and was awarded the college’s inaugural Presidential Medal. “It's been truly an honor to give back to this institution time and time again,” she said. “My home is here at Ithaca College because it was a community, and we had a family here. We were like a lot of families in that we had our good moments and our really hard moments. But we hung in there with one another, and we made it through.”

Judith M. Linden ’73, Edgar “Dusty” Bredbenner Jr. ’50 Distinguished Alumni Award: Recognized for her work transforming the Queens Symphony Orchestra into a professional entity, Linden is also cofounder of New York City–based youth music education nonprofit Midori and Friends. She also previously served as an Ithaca College trustee. “Ithaca is one of the places that has defined my life,” Linden said. “It’s where I started. And when I think about my relationship with Ithaca over 55 years, my primary recollections focus on the years I spent here on campus.”

Steven Schopp ’66

Steven Schopp ’66, Lifetime Achievement Award: Known nationally as a leader in music education, Schopp was president of the New York State School Music Association (NYSSMA) and served as NYSSMA executive director for 13 years. “It seems like just yesterday that I was a nervous kid from a small town at the other end of Cayuga Lake,” Schopp said. “To be that kid that came to the downtown campus 62 years ago, and to be standing here today receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from Ithaca College—it doesn't get much better than that.”

A lasting theme throughout the weekend was the sense that Ithaca College shaped these alumni to become the people they are today. “Ithaca, for me, has become a home,” Samuels said. “It’s a place I return to when I need to recenter and remember how far I’ve come, and I’m excited to be here to introduce my son to the college and reunite with other graduates to celebrate the school.”

Jim Wolan ’03 attended Alumni Weekend 2024 with his wife, Manisha Wolan ’04, and their two sons. The couple met on campus, which Jim credits as his favorite memory from his time at IC. “Ithaca was here for that important transitional period between not really being an adult and finally maturing. I can't necessarily put a finger on it; I just know that it happened here,” he said. “Ithaca was absolutely the crucible that turned me into who I am.”