The Ithaca College Board of Trustees is recognizing the outstanding accomplishments of outgoing president Peggy R. Williams by naming her president emerita and awarding her an honorary doctor of letters degree.
The status and degree will be conferred upon her at the college's 113th Commencement on Sunday, May 18. The ceremony will be the 11th and final Commencement over which Williams will preside; she is retiring at the end of May.
In a resolution naming Williams president emerita, the board of trustees praised her as a role model for women throughout higher education.
"Our academic community has thrived during the tenure of this visionary and collaborative leader, attracting ever more qualified and diverse students and faculty, improving the scope and quality of academic programs, creating a sustainable campus infrastructure, and building a new culture of philanthropy."
Similar sentiment was expressed in a letter from the Faculty Council nominating Williams for the honorary degree, which noted that Ithaca College today is a healthier, more important, and more visible institution than when she arrived.
"The student body is more diverse, more actively engaged, and academically stronger; the quality of the faculty and its morale has improved; the range of academic programs has expanded; the College's financial position is more secure; and the universal mood on campus is far more positive. In short, during her 11 years as our president, Peggy has worked diligently and successfully to transform Ithaca College into a genuine community -- and a great place to be."
Williams holds a bachelor of arts degree in psychology from St. Michael's College of the University of Toronto; a master of education degree from the University of Vermont; and a doctorate in administration, planning, and social policy from Harvard. She took office in July 1997 after the board of trustees selected her as the seventh -- and first woman -- president in the College's history.
