IC News

Dear Ithaca College campus community,

I am writing today to share with you some updates to the structure of the college’s senior leadership team as we work to stabilize the college and position this institution for a strong future.

As you know, we are in the midst of a search for a Vice President for Finance and Administration to succeed Bill Guerrero. Coupled with the existing vacancy in the position of Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees, this has provided an opportunity for me to rethink the configuration of our administrative structure with an eye toward creating efficiencies as the college walks through this challenging time.

As I have shared in several public meetings, I am not currently pursuing the hiring of a full-time Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees to replace Guilherme Costa, who left the college in September 2020. This position has been responsible for overseeing Ithaca College’s legal affairs division, providing support, advice, and assistance to the board of trustees, senior leaders, faculty, staff, and myself on a wide range of legal, regulatory, compliance, insurance, and risk management matters to advance the overall priorities of the college.

In the absence of this role being filled in the near future, I am temporarily shifting reporting structures and duties within this area. I want to underscore the high level of expertise necessary for Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees and my sincere gratitude that we have a number of individuals on our staff who can, during this time, offer strong, capable leadership in this area.

This approach mirrors the creative use of existing resources and staff expertise that defined the transition plan for the Division of Finance and Administration, a plan that included the decision not to hire an interim vice president to avoid the additional expense.

As of March 1, our Office of Legal Affairs is reporting to Odalys Diaz Piñeiro, chief of staff in the Office of the President. This group consists of Emily Rockett, college counsel; Phil Garin, associate counsel; Linda Koenig, Title IX coordinator; and Omar Stoute ’17, deputy Title IX coordinator.

Nancy Pringle, who retired in 2019 as executive vice president and senior advisor to the president, has been serving on an interim basis as Vice President, General Counsel and Secretary to the Board of Trustees since September. With my decision not to pursue a hire for the vice president and general counsel position, I am grateful that Nancy has agreed to solely serve as secretary and legal counsel to the board of trustees on a part-time basis during this critical time. Day-to-day board management will continue to be handled by Tammy Sritecha, assistant to the secretary of the board of trustees. Tammy has done outstanding work as a member of the team and is vital to the success of the college’s ability to support the board.

Chief Information Officer
Finally, as of July 1, Dave Weil ’87, MS ’89, will join the senior leadership team as Chief Information Officer. I have decided to move Information Technology out of the Finance and Administration portfolio in order to strategically place this function at the senior leadership team level. This significant change allows us to fully leverage our IT investments to address challenges across all aspects of the institution, both academic and administrative. It’s important to note that Dave has already been working closely with me and members of my team, as IT touches upon and undergirds all divisions of the college.

Dave will continue to lead the whole of our Information Technology operation, which includes Applications and Infrastructure, Engagement and Client Technologies, Information Security, and Learning and Innovative Technologies. As an expert in his field—and as an IC alumnus and parent—he will bring an important perspective to the leadership team.

There has been much change at Ithaca College as we navigate the challenges related to COVID and move strongly forward with the implementation of our strategic plan, which calls for organizational change to support fiscal sustainability. These shifts at the senior level reflect these important efforts.

I hope this message finds all of you well as we successfully move through the midpoint of a remarkable semester. I continue to be grateful for all of your efforts in keeping our campus open and our community healthy and strong.

All my best,

Shirley M. Collado
President