South Hill Summers

By Grace Collins '22, October 4, 2024

Programs bring campus to life year-round.

(Photo by Andrew Frasz)

Every May, after graduation caps are tossed in the air and dorm rooms are packed up, most students head home for the summer. But for those opting to extend their stay on South Hill, the excitement is just beginning.

A vibrant year-round campus, Ithaca College offers summer programming for students and community members to expand their skill set, forge new connections, and find their future. Whether it's music resonating through the institutes offered by the School of Music, Theatre, and Dance or students in the Summer Scholars Program delving into innovative research projects, opportunities align with an array of purposes and passions.

Hitting the Right Notes

Originally founded as a music conservatory, IC has musical roots that run deep. Summer intensives give everyone from budding young musicians to mid-career professionals the opportunity to step outside of their comfort zones, develop new skills, and establish lasting relationships with others in the field.

The Summer Music Academy (SMA), a residential program with both an intermediate (grades 7–9) and high school (grades 10–12) division, provides an exceptionally supportive environment for participants to grow as musicians—and people. Those involved get a taste of what studying music in college could be like, whether they take voice and instrument lessons from renowned music educators or rehearse in large ensembles and prepare for performances that are presented at the conclusion of the program. They also have their choice of non-music electives taught by IC faculty across all five academic schools. Combined, these opportunities provide an interdisciplinary experience that is representative of the well-rounded liberal arts education they would get at Ithaca College.

Alex and his brother in front of the fountains.

Alex Renzoni '24 (left) attended the Ithaca College Summer Music Academy as a youth with his brother Brian (right) before joining the team as a counselor and then resident assistant. (Photo submitted)

For Alex Renzoni ’24, attending SMA was the first step toward his future at IC. An avid musician, Renzoni was first introduced to the program as a high school student. “A friend recommended it as an engaging and immersive summer music program experience. As someone who knew studying music in college was on the horizon, I was immediately interested and began researching the program's extensive offerings before ultimately applying,” he said.

Renzoni attended SMA for two consecutive summers in a program he described as “transformative” and eventually applied early decision to Ithaca College. “I met both top-notch musicians and incredibly knowledgeable and supportive faculty who fueled my artistic passions and cultivated a sense of immediate community that I knew I was hoping to find during my college experience,” he said.

An integral part of the SMA campers’ experience is connecting with the current IC students who serve as counselors and resident assistants. In these paid roles, they guide the campers through what is, for many of them, their first look at an intensive music education. “They serve as role models,” Carr said. “They take care of the homesick campers. They answer questions about being in college. They can take them on guided tours of IC. Their main responsibility is not a teaching-music role; it's a guiding-through-life role.”

For Renzoni, it was only natural to give back to SMA once he’d landed his spot as a music education major at IC. He joined the team as a counselor in 2022 and returned as a resident assistant in 2023, where he served as a liaison between counselors and administrative staff. “My hope for all SMA campers is that they draw inspiration from the beauty of music and feel empowered to foster such beauty in their home programs,” he said. “No matter what they hope to pursue after high school, the values of collaboration, trust, responsibility, and perseverance that are inherent to the music-making process are directly applicable to any discipline.”

During Ithaca College’s three-week summer Opera Studio program, students prepare and perform operatic scenes from plays, such as Le nozze di Figaro pictured above, with the help of a musical coach, an experienced conductor, and an acting coach.

(Photo by Well Said Media)

While Catherine Janston ’24 never attended SMA as a high school student, her search for a music-focused summer job after her first year at IC led her to apply as a counselor at SMA. Since then, Janston has returned to the academy every year, twice as a counselor and most recently as a resident assistant. “I especially loved the idea of spending some of my summer in Ithaca and getting some hands-on experience working in a music intensive environment,” she said. “I loved getting to know all of the campers and watching them grow as musicians over the time they attended SMA. It was particularly special my second year as a counselor, when a lot of my campers from the previous year came back. Seeing how much they had grown, both as individuals and as musicians, was quite memorable.”

Elsewhere in the James J. Whalen Center for Music, opera singers can be heard performing arias and cadenzas. Working in perfect harmony, the Opera Direction and Opera Studio Programs provide experienced performers and industry professionals with the skills needed to excel in the field.

“I especially loved the idea of spending some of my summer in Ithaca and getting some hands-on experience working in a music intensive environment.”

Catherine Janston ’24

Opera Direction, instructed by highly esteemed stage director Chuck Hudson, is a hybrid certificate program that begins in the spring semester and gives professionals personalized education and guidance on their path to becoming opera directors. In the summer, the program travels to Ithaca and combines with Opera Studio, a similar residential program geared toward performers. The directorial students collaborate with the repertoire of opera singers and work to perform substantial sections of a diverse selection of operas. Performers and directors alike receive valuable feedback and coaching from Hudson and Dawn Pierce, artistic and faculty director of the Opera Studio Program. “We want to make sure everybody's really doing their best work and feeling great and feeling brave about stepping into this new world,” Pierce said.

In an emphasis on the collaboration that happens throughout the residential session, Pierce noted that directors and singers attend master classes together and directors work closely with IC student costumers, stage managers, and lighting designers. “Opera is a really fulfilling, collaborative art form,” she said. “A program like this raises awareness from all perspectives of everything that goes into it. I think that sometimes when you’re a singer and you go into a show, you don’t even think about the fact that there’s a lighting person that has been working for months and months to be sure that you are seen onstage. The way we do this is a lifting of the veil, so all parties can see what’s happening behind the scenes.”

Haley Rayfield ’25, a music education and vocal performance student, has attended Opera Studio Program twice, and says she gained unique insights from each session. “I have learned more than I’ve ever learned about opera in any other experience I’ve had, and I think [the Opera Studio program] is a really good supplement to my education,” said Rayfield. “Everything we learn is very applicable to the real world, and I know I’m walking away with tools I’ll be using for the rest of my career.”

Getting in the Game

In summer 2023, Ithaca College marked the second of its three-year collaboration with the Special Olympics New York Summer Games. Hundreds of athletes and their families, coaches, and supporters came from across New York State to take part in celebration, camaraderie, and competition.

In addition to providing opportunities for the competing athletes, the Summer Games also allowed members of the IC community to get involved and give back. Volunteer shifts were filled by students, alumni, faculty, staff, and local community members. “This was my first time volunteering, and it was a great experience to see so many people come together for the occasion,” said Allison Arndt ’21, DPT ’23. “The energy at the opening ceremony was electric; the athletes and volunteers were all having so much fun together.”

The Special Olympics New York Summer Games were held at Ithaca College in June 2023.

(Photo by Charles McKenzie)

In 2022 Jill Mayer, clinical assistant professor of physical therapy, and Bonnie Riley, assistant professor of occupational therapy, spearheaded the health performance and healthy athlete screening stations. These stations supported athletes before, during, and after their competition. Staffed by students and supervised by faculty and local health care professionals, the stations gave more than 50 upperclassmen and graduate students in the physical therapy, occupational therapy, and physician assistant programs exceptional hands-on opportunities to put their classroom skills into real-world practice with an underrepresented population of athletes.

Athletes were led in dynamic warm-ups and stretches, and learned about hydration, nutrition, mental readiness, and goal setting. The resources and services available to the athletes was an effort to lessen the health disparity gap that disproportionately affects people with intellectual disabilities. “We’re all constantly learning, both as faculty and as students, about ways to increase access to health care,” Mayer said. “I want the students to see the potential impact they have on the lives of people with intellectual disabilities and learn to recognize the disparities in our health care system. These athletes have worked really hard to get to the Summer Games, and so I hope they felt supported and welcomed by the IC community.”

Summer Scholarship

Summer break also serves as an opportunity for students to engage in academic exploration that they otherwise wouldn’t have time for during the school year. Housed in the School of Humanities and Sciences (H&S), the Summer Scholars Program gives H&S students the chance to collaborate closely with faculty mentors as they engage in research, scholarship, and creative inquiry projects.

For eight weeks, the scholars live on campus, make connections with one another, and receive a stipend for their work. With topics spanning from optical tweezers to augmented reality, some projects are independently designed by the scholar while others join ongoing faculty-led research projects. The program is designed to leave scholars with skills to carry with them throughout their professional lives, such as public speaking and translating research findings into accessible, engaging presentations.

IC’s variety of summer precollege programs help students gain confidence in a range of topics, including the sciences and musical theatre. The Summer Scholars Program gives current IC students a chance to work on their research and presentation skills.

(Bottom right photo by Chris Kitchen; other photos by Giovanni Santacroce)

It’s no surprise that as an environmental science major, Nandini Agarwal ’25 would opt for a research project that allowed them to spend significant time outdoors. During summer 2023, Agarwal worked on a research project, led by Eric Leibensperger, assistant professor of physics and astronomy, seeking to quantify the sources of methane in New York State. The work involved visiting the sites of sources—like dairy farms, landfills, and salt mines—and taking on-the-ground measurements of methane concentrations in the air. Then, they used online mapping software to analyze the data collected. “It helped me understand in a more real sense what environmental fieldwork entails, and how there are many moving parts to that process, from setting up equipment to data analysis and presenting findings,” Agarwal said. “Typically, in even the most hands-on class, back-end work is cut down, and students work on compiling information or on condensed processes. This was different—I felt a closer responsibility towards the work I was doing.”

The H&S Summer Scholars Program didn’t just allow Agarwal to feel a closer connection to their work—it also deepened their connection to the Ithaca community. “Over the summer, I have attended more local events, visited the public library more often, and volunteered at local gardens. Seeing other scholars present their work helped me learn more about other students’ interests and passions, and I felt a strong sense of connection with my peers,” Agarwal said.

Summer gives students a chance to explore Ithaca's many gorges and waterfalls.

Suryash Malviya ’26, a physics and astronomy and computer science double major, spent the summer working with Matthew Price, associate professor of physics and astronomy, to capture the cosmos. His research project centered on making use of the college’s new astrophotography cameras to generate images of outer space.

“I always loved talking to [Price] about the philosophical aspects of sciences, and I felt he was someone I would want to work with over the summer,” said Malviya. “I wanted to fully immerse myself in the work I was doing without splitting my time between taking classes and working.” However, heavy layers of smoke from Canadian wildfires obscured the night sky, rendering any photos from the camera unusable, but that wasn’t going to put a stop to Malviya’s research. He quickly pivoted to create three-dimensional composite images of space, learning new software and skills in the process. “I will always remember this summer as the time I learned to quickly adapt to new situations,” he said. “This philosophy plays equally well in life and in academia.”

David Brown, associate dean of curriculum and admissions for H&S and director of the Summer Scholars Program, said that with many of the summer scholars having just finished their sophomore year, this is a pivotal time in their academic journey. “We want them to feel a connection and a sense of belonging to this community, but we really want to see growth from them,” Brown said. “We want them to understand what it means to engage in scholarly research, creative works, and social science research, and what it means to be a practitioner of the discipline in which they’re completing their work.”

A Desire to Learn

For high schoolers who have yet to hit their college years but also have a desire for intellectual activity or are curious about life on a college campus, IC hosts a series of precollege programs. These include the Ithaca Young Writers Institute, Theatre Conservatory, and Summer College.

“I will always remember this summer as the time I learned to quickly adapt to new situations.”

Suryash Malviya '26

Overseen by Eric Machan Howd, director of the Office of Extended Studies, these programs allow high school students to earn college credits, all while enjoying the sunshine on South Hill, engaging with esteemed faculty, and making lifelong friendships. Between academic sessions, students go on field trips, explore the campus, or join resident assistants and faculty for activities like star walks and seed planting. “Students have a transformative experience here,” Howd said. “I hope they learn a little bit about the content that they're electing to study, and they learn whether or not they think that higher education is a good fit for them. I also hope that they make connections. Education is all about making connections, whether it's with our own selves, or with others.”

Howd also collaborates with community partners across the Northeast to provide financial aid that makes precollege programs accessible to underrepresented students. Organizations such as Minds Matter, the Schuler Foundation, and the Frederick Douglass Academy contribute funding to provide free tuition for students. “I think these programs show how Ithaca College is much more than just the degrees,” he said. “We reach out to so many other people within our community and elsewhere.”