Ithaca College

Thomas R. Rochon will be inaugurated as the eighth president of Ithaca College on Friday, April 17, at 3:00 p.m. in the Ben Light Gymnasium. All members of the campus community are warmly invited to participate.

Supervisors are encouraged to make arrangements to allow as many staff members as possible to attend the inauguration and reception. Tickets to the ceremony are free and may be picked up Monday-Friday, noon to 6:00 p.m., starting Friday, April 3, at the recreation center on the ground floor of the Campus Center.

The inaugural guest speaker will be Robert D. Putnam, the Peter and Isabel Malkin Professor of Public Policy at Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government. His talk is titled, "A New "Greatest Generation'?" Putnam will also receive an honorary doctor of letters from the College.

Kennedy School of Government: Robert D. Putnam

Members of IC's board of trustees will formally invest President Rochon with the symbols of his office, after which he will give his inaugural speech.

The entire ceremony will be webcast live on the inauguration website. Streaming audio will be available starting at 3:00 p.m. at WICB-FM's website and live on the air at 91.7 FM. ICTV will be providing coverage beginning at 2:30 p.m. on Time Warner Cable's channel 16.

Inauguration Website
WICB Website

Everyone is also invited to a campus reception immediately following, at IC Square in Campus Center (4:30-5:30 p.m.). Read on for more information, or check the inauguration website. Questions? Contact inauguration@ithaca.edu.

Faculty Members to March in Inaugural Procession

In February, the faculty was invited to march in the formal inaugural procession. If you have not yet let Peggy Termina know you plan to march, please call Peggy at 274-3041 or e-mail ptermina@ithaca.edu. Faculty members in academic regalia should gather at the west entrance of Campus Center by 2:20 p.m. on Friday, April 17, to process with the board of trustees, speakers, academic delegates, and others to the Ben Light Gymnasium.

Why Hold an Inauguration?

The arrival of a new president is a landmark in an institution's history and will have an impact on the institutional community for years to come. Colleges and universities hold inaugurations for many important reasons. Read more at the inauguration website:

"Why Hold an Inauguration?"

More Inaugural Events, Thursday-Friday, April 16-17

Two days of inaugural events begin Thursday, April 16, with the annual James J. Whalen Academic Symposium, 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m. A reception immediately follows. This annual presentation of student research and creative work is a wonderful showcase of the College's academic strengths, and this year many visitors have been invited to attend. (For more, go to the symposium’s website.)

Whalen Academic Symposium

Students' pre-inaugural celebrations are Thursday evening. First, President Rochon visits the dining halls (5:15-6:30). Then, from 8:30 to 10:00 p.m., come to the Fitness Center for a free inaugural concert with student groups Ithacappella, Amani Gospel Singers, 5 Cents Sharp Brass Quintet, Kalamos Saxophone Quartet, and the IC Jazz Combo. (More information in future Intercom postings.)

Everyone is invited to attend two presentations Friday morning, April 17, in Park Auditorium. At 10:00 a.m., Dianne Lynch, dean of the Roy H. Park School of Communications, will present "Twitter Me: What Kids Know about Digital Worlds -- and Why It Matters." Then, at 11:15 a.m., come to a talk, entitled "Creativity and Aging," presented by Susan Perlstein, director of education and training at the National Center for Creative Aging in Washington, D.C. Video highlights of IC's Enduring Masters series will also be shown.