Ithaca College

With the recent financial crisis and the resulting pressure placed on the Ithaca College budget, the question was posed: Should we even have a faculty-staff holiday celebration?

The answer is yes.

Now, more than ever, we need to come together as a community, sharing our appreciation for each other and the hard work we do. Each year, we all make a commitment to building a better College, and in challenging financial times, that commitment can be sorely tested. Now is the time for us to share some good will and celebrate our many accomplishments.

In that spirit, we've decided to continue both the holiday luncheon party on campus and the holiday party at Fountain Place.

The holiday luncheon on campus will take place on Thursday, December 18. In addition, my wife Amber and I will host two holiday celebrations for faculty and staff at Fountain Place. One event will be the traditional holiday celebration on Tuesday, December 16. In order to make this celebration more accessible to those who must be home shortly after 5:00 p.m., we will begin the celebration in our home at 4:00 p.m. and continue to 7:30. Feel free to drop by any time in that period to say hello.

We will also host a new, second holiday event between 1:00 and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 13. This event will be focused on IC families. Crafts will be available for children ages 4 through 10. Ithaca College faculty and staff with children or grandchildren are welcome to attend the events.

We've also made the decision to post invitations to these two events on Intercom. Not only will this reduce printing costs, but it will also contribute to our sustainability efforts. So, look for those invitations in the coming weeks; the invitation will contain RSVP information.

I hope to see you at the holiday parties.