You are likely reading this column in October, but it is a hot and humid July afternoon as I sit down to write it. I’ve been on campus for only a few weeks, and though my office is finally unpacked, my work here at Ithaca College has just begun. And I’ll share a not-so-secret secret: I’m thrilled to be here and excited to get started.

My first few weeks have been spent getting to know as much as possible about the college and the many students, staff, faculty, families, and alumni who make up the extended IC family. As I get to know the community, learn more about IC’s place in higher education, and look ahead to the arrival of our students, it strikes me that I, too, am a student this year, absorbing all I can about a place that you already know so well.

This year we celebrate the 125th anniversary of the college’s founding. I am honored to be starting my term as Ithaca College’s ninth president at such a jubilant time in the institution’s history. I have found myself becoming completely absorbed by stories about the people, events, achievements, and forces that have shaped the college. I’ve spent time reading about the ways the college has changed through the years, moving from its origins as a music conservatory to the multifaceted, multidisciplinary, and incredibly unique place it is today.

So many things jump out at me as I familiarize myself with IC, but one of the most intriguing is how the scope of the college’s academic programs changed over time—how, in the early decades, as the fine reputation of the original conservatory grew, other schools of theatre, music, and physical education came into the fold, cementing the college as an important center of education in the performing disciplines. From these roots a comprehensive college was eventually born, encompassing the vibrant combination of liberal arts and professional schools we have today.

But it took many years for the institution to become what we know now as Ithaca College. For me, this is why the celebration of the 125th anniversary is so compelling. We’re marking a single point in the college’s history that represents so much more than one event. We’re celebrating our past, as well as our present and future. We’re locating ourselves within a continuing evolution, a continuing conversation, which springs from the interplay between youth and experience, between change and tradition, between theory and performance, between mastery and experimentation, between forces on campus and in the broader world. Our celebration gives voice to the ways in which the Ithaca College community both expresses and shapes this evolution.

Undoubtedly, gaining a sense of history helps connect us to the past, sometimes in a profound way. But I believe the greatest value comes from the ways that connection can help us examine our own lives more clearly. It helps us understand how our thoughts and actions shape our relationships and our communities, and how our historical and social context shapes our individual paths—even, or, especially—when that examination shows us complicated truths that we find difficult or challenging.

In my experiences as an academic professional and as a person, I believe strongly in the power of difficult discourse grounded in mutual respect. And an institution of higher education is one of those rare places in our society where such discourse can—and should—happen. When we welcome such discussions and provide spaces where tough problems get tackled in a constructive way, we not only educate our students, but we also better understand our world, and we plant the seed for inventions and innovations that make lives better.

This is one reason why I felt called to be a part of the Ithaca College community. I can see the great love the college inspires within the members of its community, and how that love constructs a learning environment where those who thirst for knowledge can find a collaborative and deeply immersive academic and life experience. In the years ahead, I look forward to blending my voice, my energy, and my determination with yours, as we continue to build a challenging, illuminating space where we can all make a difference by honoring Ithaca College’s past and creating its future.

I hope that I have the opportunity to meet many of you this fall, as we celebrate Ithaca College during the Weekend on South Hill, November 3–5. This will be a huge event for our IC community, joining together alumni, families, students, staff, and faculty, and bringing to campus prominent thought leaders, artists, and innovative minds from around the country. I hope to see you there.

All my best,

SHIRLEY M. COLLADO
President