The Right Leader at the Right Time

By Charles McKenzie, March 10, 2022

La Jerne Terry Cornish introduced as 10th president of Ithaca College.

La Jerne Terry Cornish was introduced to the campus community on March 7, 2022 to a standing ovation. (Photo Credit: Adam Baker)

With a jubilant crowd on its feet to greet her and a humble new leader bowing her head in reflection and gratitude, the announcement of Ithaca College’s 10th president felt like a triumphant return home, except that the guest of honor had never left.

Ithaca College’s former provost-turned-interim president, La Jerne Terry Cornish, was introduced to the campus community as president on Monday March 7, after a comprehensive five-month national search. The event was held in Emerson Suites before an in-person audience and was streamed live for all to see. Participants included the leadership of the Ithaca College Board of Trustees along with representatives from the Presidential Search Committee.

“I'm shaking. I'm nervous. I'm crying. My heart is racing,” Cornish said as she stepped to the lectern. She thanked the speakers, search committee, and past presidents.

“Thank you to the Ithaca College community—my family, because that's what you are. To the alumni, to the board, to the staff, to the faculty, to the students—because you know, I always say students are our ‘why,’ I am so grateful to be given the honor and the privilege to serve as your next president.”

President La Jerne Terry Cornish.

“Thank you to the Ithaca College community—my family, because that's what you are. To the alumni, to the board, to the staff, to the faculty, to the students—because you know, I always say students are our ‘why,’ I am so grateful to be given the honor and the privilege to serve as your next president.”

She also thanked her family, including her son, Wayne Cornish Jr., and her wife, Deborah Ptak, the principal of Lehman Alternative Community School in Ithaca, who both were in attendance.

La Jerne Terry Cornish addresses the room on March 7, 2022. (Photo Credit: Nathalie Molina '24)

Cornish took a moment to honor her family members who did not live to see her attain this honor.

“I woke up and I saw the rain this morning, and I wasn't sad. It's liquid sunshine. For me, the rain was from heaven as my mother and my father and my brother and aunt were crying with joy over seeing me be named to this position.”

She said her family would not have been surprised by the announcement.

“My mother used to say, ‘You are determined to do what you want to do, no matter what,’ which often resulted in punishment from time to time,” she said with a laugh. “But the fact of the matter is, I have been determined all of my life. My mother would not be surprised by this at all.”

That determination is exactly what the search committee wanted to see in a new president, especially amid changes in higher education and a burgeoning rebound from a global pandemic.

President Corrnish’s vision for the six to ten years was succinct: “Three to five to restore. Another three to five to soar.”

“I'm grateful to lead at this time, but I'm also realistic about the challenges we face,” she said. “All over the higher education landscape, we are challenged by declining enrollments. We are challenged by issues of access and affordability. These things are not unique to IC. The constant is change, and that has to be the constant moving forward. The blessing of the pandemic was that it required us to change quickly, to become nimble, to become adaptive in a way that we had never done before. We can't go back. That type of nimbleness, that type of adaptiveness, that has to be what we do moving forward. That has to be a part of our DNA.”

"The work ahead is challenging, but it is not insurmountable; I dare you to believe in a positive future! The only way things are going to get better is if we do it together. Our ability to move forward as a college is directly bound to our ability to move forward as a community. It will take all of us. Now I'm asking for commitment from every person from within this institution, every person listening, every person in the community, all of us together. I want you to know I need you to be with me because I'm in for the long haul. This is not a short-term game."

President La Jerne Terry Cornish.

She included a call for everyone in the IC community to commit to moving the college forward.

"The work ahead is challenging, but it is not insurmountable; I dare you to believe in a positive future!" she said. "The only way things are going to get better is if we do it together. Our ability to move forward as a college is directly bound to our ability to move forward as a community. It will take all of us. Now I'm asking for commitment from every person from within this institution, every person listening, every person in the community, all of us together. I want you to know I need you to be with me because I'm in for the long haul. This is not a short-term game," she said.

James W. Nolan Jr. '77, Parent '01, vice chair of the Board of Trustees; David H. Lissy '87, chair of the Board of Trustees; Chris McNamara, chair of Faculty Council, clinical associate professor and clinic director; President La Jerne Terry Cornish; Leticia Guibunda ’22, vice president of campus affairs for Student Governance Council; Clint McCartney, chair of IC’s Staff Council. (Photo Credit: Natalie Daffinee '09)

Board of Trustees chair David H. Lissy ’87 said Cornish was uniquely suited for both her new role and for her new challenges, which stretch from the campus to the world.

“[Ithaca College] has been through ups and downs, but we’ve always endured. We've chosen the right leader for the right time because she's as clear-eyed about the challenges this place faces as she is excited about the many opportunities that we have to reach our full potential. We're convinced she can build on the momentum that was created by the Ithaca Forever plan with fresh perspective, fresh leadership and clear priorities,” he said.

“We believe she's the right leader for the right time because of the strength of her character, her fortitude to see through the difficult times, to understand the hard work it takes to be transformative,” Lissy continued. “We chose the right leader at the right time, because in my experience, great leaders have this uncanny combination of humility and drive. Getting that balance right can be really powerful.”

Lissy added that the board and search committee were impressed that she was about the “collective ‘we,’ and not about the ‘me.’” He was sure the new president and community would be “working together, rallying together, above and beyond the challenges that we may have, the disagreements we may have with one another, towards the success of this place that we love. Ithaca College will endure.”

This sentiment was echoed by Clint McCartney, chair of IC’s Staff Council, and Chris MacNamara ’81, chair of Faculty Council, who both served on the search committee.

“We are a passionate faculty,” MacNamara said. “And as such, we, like all members of this community, can become frustrated and impatient. Change and progress are never easy. We nevertheless as a faculty affirm to you our continued commitment to put students at the center of all that we do: teaching, scholarship, service, decision-making and activities on campus and off. And we pledge to work with you in reshaping Ithaca College and empowering ourselves and our campus community so that we can realize our potential and fulfill our promise. We look forward under your direction and leadership, President Cornish, to the next best chapter of Ithaca College.”

“As a student body we've had to constantly chase after and establish new models for ourselves, all while dealing with a lot of uncertainties and struggles in a world that has so much social, environmental and political turmoil. I'm really glad IC will have President Cornish as our next leader. She really recognizes this and cares, and she has shown serious intention behind wanting to make this school a place where everyone can sincerely feel a sense of belonging and a sense of community.”

Leticia Guibunda ’22, vice president of campus affairs for Student Governance Council.

Search committee chair David Fleisher '91 P’20, who joined via video, said, “Dr. Cornish rose above the rest. Her professional experience, her leadership skills, her personal qualities, and her demonstrated track record of persevering through difficult times elevated her above the other very accomplished candidates.”

Jim Nolan ’77 P’01, vice chair of the Board of Trustees, thanked Fleisher for his leadership of a long, thorough search.

One of several standing ovations at presidential announcement. (Photo Credit: Nathalie Molina '24)

Tanya Hutchins ’89, president of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, welcomed President Cornish on behalf of alumni via video: “Just as students reach for the stars, alumni reach back to our alma mater with passion and enthusiasm. We look forward to working with you. Lead us to great heights. We will walk beside you on this journey because we all share a love for Ithaca that is unmatched," she said. "Go to your destiny."

Student search committee member Leticia Guibunda ’22, vice president of campus affairs for Student Governance Council, also praised Cornish’s commitment to intentionality, connectedness and care.

“As a student body we've had to constantly chase after and establish new models for ourselves, all while dealing with a lot of uncertainties and struggles in a world that has so much social, environmental and political turmoil,” said Guibunda. “I'm really glad IC will have President Cornish as our next leader. She really recognizes this and cares, and she has shown serious intention behind wanting to make this school a place where everyone can sincerely feel a sense of belonging and a sense of community.”

When Cornish was a student herself, she did not always feel a sense of community.

“The reason that I went into academia was because I never had anybody who looked like me in the classroom, and I thought it was so important for students of color to see themselves reflected in the front of the room.”

And that was even more true at the administrator level. When asked what that young student La Jerne would have said now to President Cornish, she paused with emotion.

“She would have said, ‘Thank you for persevering.’ She would have said, ‘Not only do students who look like me need to see you in that seat. Students who look nothing like me need to see you in that seat.’”

Cornish’s commitment to the institution was clear in her words as she spoke to the Ithaca College community.

"We are going to restore this college as a place that provides a vibrant intellectual experience for all. The pandemic took a toll. It fractured our community. There were times when grace did not rule the day. I'm pledging to restore what it means for this to be a place for learning for everyone," said Cornish.

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Watch the livestream event as La Jerne Terry Cornish was introduced to the campus community as president on Monday March 7, after a comprehensive five-month national search.

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