Ithaca College concluded a nationwide tour of campaign kickoff events in late April with an event in Chicago at the downtown studios of WLS-TV. My staff in the Office of Institutional Advancement and I heartily thank all who contributed to this very successful series of events from coast to coast -- which were attended by more than 1,400 people!
President Peggy Williams was a special guest and speaker at almost all the events, but she wasn’t the only campus representative. Besides the hardworking volunteer committees and the institutional advancement staff who were involved in the planning, orchestration, and staffing of the nationwide events, many faculty, administrators, students, alumni, and parents were featured guests, performers, and speakers.
In November the “On the Road” series began at Boston’s State Room, where Dean Dianne Lynch, WEEI Sports Radio personality Jon Meterparel ’94, and current SGA president Zach Ford ’07 spoke to a packed house; the 250 attendees didn’t want to leave! Then we went west, to San Francisco, where 60 alumni and friends turned out to watch a screening of the DVD A World of Difference: Five Stories from South Hill. The series continued in Los Angeles, where Gavin MacLeod ’52 and Park scholar Dave Ferguson ’06 entertained and energized the crowd of 150.
Then it was back east to Philadelphia, where Parent Fund Committee cochair Lynne Paolantonio P’06, P’10 and former IC student-athlete, now medical student Sarah Legg ’05 mesmerized the large crowd at the Franklin Institute. In Washington, D.C., the setting was the Australian Embassy and the topic was international studies, with Dean Tanya Saunders, associate professor of biology Susan Allen-Gil, and Eric Pierce ’05 offering their perspectives on Ithaca’s unique experiential learning opportunities.
Next were two well-attended DVD screenings in Florida -- in Fort Lauderdale/Weston with Dean Lynch and at Tampa’s Florida Aquarium with Dean Lynch, board chair emeritus Bill Haines, a large crowd, and a multitude of fish!
The Big Apple’s Gotham Hall was the setting for an absolutely spectacular revue evening, attended by nearly 500 people and featuring dazzling performances by more than a dozen talented Ithaca-trained theater, music, and comedy professionals. (That audience was also treated to President Williams’s first-ever cameo appearance on the New York stage.)
Some 60 alumni, parents, and friends joined President Williams and Dean Steven Siconolfi at the Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School, new home of the Ithaca physical therapy graduate program. Rich Newburg ’69, P’09, senior correspondent for WIVB-TV, screened a documentary highlighting his era at IC and many notable schoolmates, and Maggie Brooks ’77 spoke about her time at IC and her role as county executive of Monroe County.
The six-month series ended with a memorable evening at the Chicago offices of WLS-TV, ABC Channel 7. The event was hosted by Alan Krashesky ’82, coanchor of the 6:00 p.m. news. Dean Susan West Engelkemeyer and President Williams heard from the 70 guests how pleased they were to have this kind of event in their neck of the woods.
All in all, it was a terrific kickoff to the Campaign for Ithaca College. We are gratified to have had such wonderful opportunities to share the news about how Ithaca College people truly are “Making a World of Difference” and to receive such warm welcomes everywhere we went.
On Thursday, May 10, a reception at the Museum of the Earth features associate professor of music education Baruch Whitehead leading an interactive demonstration of West African rhythms on the djembe. This is one of many celebrations that are happening across the country to further call attention to the campaign as we enter the final months -- and the excitement continues to build.
Thank you to all of you who made -- and continue to make -- a difference!
Photos and summaries of many of Ithaca’s “On the Road” events are available on the Campaign for Ithaca College website at www.ithaca.edu/ontheroad. You can find upcoming events there, too. We hope you'll consider joining us for those!
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20070508133235141