President Cornish Delivers Keynote Address at Women’s Fund Event

By Laura Ilioaei ’23, November 7, 2022

Credits women in her own life with inspiring her to succeed and lead.

President Cornish speaks at annual Community Foundation Women’s Fund Celebration. (Left to right): Suzanne Brache, Leslyn McBean-Clairborne, Amy Kremenek, George Ferrari, La Jerne Terry Cornish, Peyi Soyinka-Airewele, Gloria Coicou. (Photo submitted)

On October 13, Ithaca College President La Jerne Terry Cornish served as the keynote speaker for the annual Community Foundation Women’s Fund Celebration.

The Women’s Fund is a subset of the Community Foundation of Tompkins County, which aims to use philanthropy to elevate and advance women's lives.

This year’s theme was “Women Leading in Times of Unprecedented Change,” which made Cornish the perfect person to deliver the keynote. She has worked tirelessly to guide Ithaca College through a period of transition, as it has recently welcomed several new leaders to the administration who, along with members of her cabinet, are sterling examples of women’s leadership.

“We began this semester with three new deans, each of whom is committed to innovation in support of student success,” Cornish said. “I also draw from the wide range of expertise of the President’s Cabinet, nearly three-quarters of whom are women.”

Cornish also shared a tribute to the women in her life who she credits as contributors to her own personal development. These started with her mother and grandmother, who taught her to prioritize her education, as well as her high school history teacher, who persuaded her to attend Goucher College and to not let her mother’s failing health prevent her from continuing her education.

“I keep the lessons from my mother and my grandmother close to my heart, and I find myself drawing upon them in my leadership role at IC,” she said.

“The President’s Cabinet and I are absolutely committed to the power of this vision, which means being a global destination for all families seeking to build thriving communities,” Cornish added. “It is our job to support our students as they embrace their agency and use their passion and their fire to make a difference in the world. What good is it to equip our thinkers of tomorrow with an education if we do not contribute to the creation of a society in which they can use that education?”

Cornish also reflected personally on how she was inspired by Clarice A. Jones, who in 1912 was the first black woman to graduate from what was then known as the Ithaca Conservatory of Music.

“When the board [of trustees] shared with me that I was to be appointed this institution’s 10th president, I thought back to Clarice and all she had accomplished with such limited resources and capital,” Cornish said. “Could Clarice imagine that 110 years later, a queer black woman from Baltimore would lead this institution?”

Cornish’s words resonated deeply with the audience.

“The President’s Cabinet and I are absolutely committed to the power of this vision, which means being a global destination for all families seeking to build thriving communities. It is our job to support our students as they embrace their agency and use their passion and their fire to make a difference in the world. What good is it to equip our thinkers of tomorrow with an education if we do not contribute to the creation of a society in which they can use that education?”

President La Jerne Terry Cornish

“With her address, President Cornish did something special,” said Stacey Murphy, a member of the Women’s Fund Advisory Committee. “She related truths of her path in leadership that had many heads nodding in recognition even as we sat in admiration. Too often, women think they are alone in facing challenges. Even if our paths are different, there are commonalities. For me, that touchstone of recognition leads to an acknowledgment of what I, too, can do and not to play small. Talking with a couple of young women who were there at the end of the event, I know they had that realization too. Her talk was quietly powerful in that way.”