News and Updates from the October 2024 Ithaca College Board of Trustees Meeting

News and Updates from the October 2024 Ithaca College Board of Trustees Meeting

The Ithaca College Board of Trustees held its fall meeting on South Hill from Wednesday, October 9, through Friday, October 11.

One of the highlights was the Tenure and Promotion Dinner, at which we joined Provost Stein, the President's cabinet, and department chairs in celebrating members of our faculty who have achieved tenure and/or promotion, Dana Professorship, or emeriti status in the 2023-24 academic year. The list of professors whose accomplishments we celebrated at this fall's dinner can be found at the end of this message.

Attending classes
Trustees had the opportunity to attend one of several classes on Thursday morning, after which they met for lunch with the faculty teaching those classes. We appreciate this opportunity to get some firsthand insight into the academic experiences of our students and hope to repeat similar immersion experiences at future board meetings to the extent possible.

Presentations to the Board
Each slate of board meetings includes plenary sessions, where trustees hear directly from members of the college community or outside experts for a closer look into important topics. Plenary topics for this meeting included:

Middle States: The co-chairs of the reaccreditation self-study team, Te-Wen Lo, associate professor of biology, and John Fracchia, a specialist in Career Engagement and Technology, provided an overview of the upcoming Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) reaccreditation visit, which will take place during the 2025-26 academic year. Last year was devoted to preparation and design of the self-study process, and this year the campus is actively working on writing its self-study.

Spotlight on H&S: Dean Claire Gleitman led an overview of the School of Humanities and Sciences which demonstrated how liberal arts study is braided into the fabric of an Ithaca College education. Then, examples of the liberal arts in action were offered by Professors Chris Holmes (Literatures in English) and Jacob White (Writing); Susan Allen (Environment); and Zohreh Soltani (Art, Art History, and Architecture). The faculty members were accompanied by selected students in their programs who shared some examples of their impressive work. The Board also heard from Associate Dean Raul Palma about examples of careers that H&S graduates have pursued and how their Ithaca College education provided them with the skills they need to excel in their chosen fields.

Advancement: Vice President Laine Norton and members of her senior staff provided a quick FY24 recap and discussed policy updates as well as goals for FY25 and beyond. They brainstormed ways to increase alumni and donor participation through stewardship and broad-based solicitations, as well as engagement opportunities.

Other key sessions for trustees included reports on enrollment and finance.

Community conversation
Following the conclusion of the meetings on Friday, Board Chair John Neeson '84 and Vice Chair Chris Palmieri '96 continued the tradition of hosting an open conversation with members of the IC community. They shared highlights from the meetings and fielded questions on such topics as the board's role in the governance and management of the college, strategies for boosting enrollment, and how the college is being proactive in planning for the promises and threats of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning as well as in college operations.

Cost of Attendance for Academic Year 2025-26
On Friday, the Board approved Tuition, Room and Board for the 2025-26 academic year, with modest increases planned for both new and returning students. This represents our ongoing efforts to keep an Ithaca College education affordable and accessible for students and their families while continuing to invest in the resources necessary to provide the best possible learning and living environment. The average tuition increase for returning students across all class years will be 4.2% for next year, with an overall increase in room and board of 1%. The actual tuition increment varies somewhat among class years, in line with the four-year price cap guarantees, which began several years ago and offer incoming students cost predictability over the course of their time at IC.

We look forward to meeting again in February. Thank you to all of those who work so tirelessly to welcome us to campus and make these meetings productive.

Sincerely,

John Neeson '84
Chair, Ithaca College Board of Trustees

La Jerne Terry Cornish
President, Ithaca College

2023-2024 Faculty Tenure, Promotion, Dana Professorships and Emeriti Status

Tenure and Promotion to Associate Professor:

• Katarzyna Bartoszynska (Literatures in English)
• Alexis Becker (Literatures in English)
• Rebecca Brady (Biology)
• Sergio Cabrera (Sociology)
• Daniel Coakwell (Music Performance)
• Lisa Corewyn (Biology)
• David Earll (Music Performance)
• Jerome Fung (Physics and Astronomy)
• Marc Gomes (Theatre and Dance Performance)
• M. Nicole Horsley (Center for Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity)
• Eric Leibensperger (Physics and Astronomy)
• Brad Lewter (Media Arts, Sciences and Studies)
• Xinxin Li (Finance and International Business)
• Mitch McCabe (Media Arts, Sciences and Studies)
• Beatrice Olesko (Music Education)
• Angela Rulffes (Media Arts, Sciences and Studies)
• Eric Steinschneider (Philosophy and Religion)
• Mike Truesdell (Music Performance)
• Paula Turkon (Environmental Studies)
• Jamie Warburton (Writing)

Promotion to Clinical Associate Professor:

• Kayleigh Plumeau (Physical Therapy)
• Jana Waller (Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology)

Promotion to Professor:

• Paula Murray Cole (Theatre and Dance Performance)
• Melinda Cozzolino (Occupational Therapy)
• Chrystyna Dail (Theatre Studies)
• Serge Grigoriev (Philosophy and Religion)
• Narges Kasiri (Management)
• Patrick McKeon (Exercise and Athletic Training)
• James Mick (Music Education)
• Alexander Reed (Music Theory, History, and Composition)
• Michael Titlebaum (Music Performance)
• Doug Turnbull (Computer Science)
• Andrew Utterson (Media Arts, Sciences and Studies)
• Justine Vosloo (Exercise Science and Athletic Training)
• Baruch Whitehead (Music Education)
• Cory Young (Strategic Communication)

Tenure at Rank:

• James Rada (Journalism)
• Andy Watts (Media Arts, Sciences, and Studies)

Professor Emeriti Status:

• Bernard Beins, Professor in Psychology, H&S (Retired 2023)
• Charles Ciccone, Professor in Physical Therapy, HSHP (Retired 2022)
• Naeem Inayatullah, Professor in Politics, Humanities and Sciences (Retired 2023)
• Frederik Kaufman, Professor in Philosophy and Religion, H&S (Retired 2023)
• Stephen Mosher, Professor in Communication Studies, H&S (Retired 2022)
• Gordon Rowland, Professor in Communications, Comm (Retired 2022)
• John Sigg, Professor in Exercise and Sport Sciences, HSHP (Retired 2023)
• Gary Wells, Professor in Art, Art History, and Architecture, H&S (Retired 2023)

Dana Professorships:

• Wendy Dann, Professor in Theatre Studies, Music, Theatre and Dance
• Andrew Smith, Professor in Biology, Humanities and Sciences