This Fall Ithaca College joined the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network, an intergenerational initiative focused on cultivating courageous leadership among college women who possess the skills necessary to move discourse forward on some of the most challenging social issues on their campuses and in their communities. The BOLD initiative is funded by the Pussycat Foundation, a private foundation established to honor the late Helen Gurley Brown, the legendary editor of Cosmopolitan magazine. 

President Shirley M. Collado founded the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network in 2016 while she was serving as executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer at Rutgers University–Newark. The other institutions in the network are Rutgers University–Newark; California State University, Fullerton; Middlebury College; and Smith College. Each partner institution is led by a woman president who has demonstrated commitment to diversity and inclusion throughout her career.

The inaugural cohort of BOLD scholars are juniors Nabilah Abdalla, Chasia Bambo, Hannah Cayem, Candace Cross, Grace Elletson, Terri Landez, Julissa Martinez, Avery Santiago, Katelyn Walsh, and Laura Waxman.

They were chosen through a comprehensive review process from among over 100 applicants for their exceptional leadership abilities, critical thinking skills, passion for building community, and ability to facilitate challenging discourse.

The cohort traveled to Rutgers University–Newark and to New York City in October for the first national BOLD summit and retreat. There they convened as part of 80 BOLD scholars from the five partner institutions and interacted with over 50 women professionals from across all sectors of the workforce.

Each BOLD scholar receives a scholarship of up to $25,000 per year for tuition, room, and board. IC’s BOLD cohort will be responsible for implementing a specific and tangible transformation project on campus that reflects the mission of the BOLD Network. In addition, members of the cohort will identify major quantifiable goals related to campus inclusion that they would like to accomplish by the end of their BOLD experience.

With the goal of full employment across the BOLD Network, each scholar will have the opportunity upon graduation to apply for a Helen Gurley Brown Fellowship, which would provide funding of up to $40,000 per recipient for employment at an organization that embodies the values of the BOLD vision.