Ithaca College will hold its 129th Commencement on Sunday, May 19, with some 935 graduates celebrated in a 10 a.m. ceremony in the Athletics & Events Center. Jason DeLand, co-founder of the globally renowned advertising agency Anomaly and a 1998 graduate of the college, will deliver the main address.
Since its inception in 2004, Anomaly has risen to prominence under DeLand’s leadership, becoming one of the most celebrated marketing firms with eight offices and over 750 employees worldwide. DeLand has made a significant mark in the advertising world, particularly known for his work on iconic Super Bowl ads for Budweiser. He was recognized in 2012 as one of Adweek's “20 Most Influential People Under 40.”
Ithaca College to Hold Commencement Ceremony on Sunday, May 19
By Dave Maley, May 12, 2024
Award-winning advertising exec Jason DeLand ’98 will deliver main address.
Watch the Livestream
The ceremony will be streamed live for viewing at ithaca.edu/commencement/livestream.
2024 Commencement speaker Jason DeLand
DeLand was a dedicated student-athlete at Ithaca College, earning four letters in baseball. Post-graduation, he has contributed significantly to the college, advising on the development of a new visual identity for Ithaca College athletics and collaborating on branding efforts with the college’s marketing and creative teams. He was honored with the Ithaca College Alumni Association’s Professional Achievement Award in 2017.
Graduating senior Mikayla Tolliver, who will be receiving a Bachelor of Arts degree in writing, with a concentration in creative writing and a minor in sociology, will speak on behalf of the Class of 2024. Tolliver was selected as a School of Humanities and Sciences Summer Scholar in 2023 and has been involved in a number of campus organizations during her four years at IC, including the BOLD scholars program and Admission Host Committee.
Longtime youth mentor Nicholas Carl Moore ’80 will be honored with the Ithaca College Presidential Medal, which recognizes a member or members of the Ithaca College family or valued partners of the institution whose lives embody the values of Ithaca College and demonstrate a strong sense of service and sustainability to the Ithaca College community and our world.
As an undergraduate, Moore was involved in a number of campus and community organizations, establishing his legacy as the artist who created the mural located in the African-Latino Room that has left an indelible impression on the college community at large. In 2009 he founded Mandate Ministries, which focuses on reentry, serving the homeless population and women who are victims of domestic violence in Charlotte, North Carolina. He is currently CEO of Soteria Holdings, LLC, a business development consultancy targeting sustainable systems and affordable housing projects in the Turks and Caicos Islands and Uganda.
Also delivering remarks at Commencement will be Ithaca College President La Jerne Terry Cornish; John Neeson ’84, incoming chair of the Ithaca College Board of Trustees; and Robertson Engelsman ’11, vice president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors.
The college will also hold a Graduate Hooding and Commencement ceremony In the Athletics & Events Center at 1 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, to recognize all Ithaca College students who are earning master’s and doctoral degrees. Amie Germain, Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy, will be the featured speaker. Germain currently serves as the Chair for Graduate Studies in Occupational Therapy and as the Director of Educational Development with the college’s Center for Faculty Excellence. In these roles, she teaches both undergraduate and graduate students, advises graduate students, and engages with and supports faculty across campus as they progress in honing their teaching craft.
For more information, visit ithaca.edu/commencement.