Provost and Vice President for Educational Affairs Benjamin Rifkin has announced that he will be resigning from that position, effective July 31. Rifkin will remain on the faculty, where he is a tenured professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Literatures.
“It has been an honor to serve as the provost and vice president for educational affairs at Ithaca College during this past year, and I have felt truly privileged to work with our remarkable students, faculty, and staff,” said Rifkin. “At the same time, it has been a tumultuous year, for all of us on campus. During this time of transition, I have decided that it is best for me and for the college that I resume my role as a professor and contribute to the mission of the college through my work on the faculty.”
Rifkin joined the college as provost on June 1, 2015. He had most recently served for six years as dean of the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at The College of New Jersey, where he also taught Russian as a professor of world languages and cultures.
Over the past year, Rifkin placed a high priority on leading efforts to realize the college’s ambition for deeper integration of learning experiences crossing curricular and co-curricular boundaries, and on enhancing communication and collaboration among different campus constituents. These efforts included implementing new procedures to enhance the inclusiveness of searches for new faculty; leading the program to embed co-curricular learning in credit-bearing courses; establishing a new co-curricular transcript; leading the Shared Governance Task Force; establishing a forum for academic leaders to discuss concerns; and establishing a Student Success Committee in order to enhance efforts at retention and reduce time to degree for all students, especially students of color and first-generation students.
“During the past year Ben showed tremendous empathy for the campus community he had only just recently joined,” said President Tom Rochon. “I have been grateful for his commitment to our students and faculty, as well as for his counsel and leadership on the President’s Council. I know that he is deeply committed to the mission of Ithaca College, and I know that he will continue to have a positive impact on our student experience from his role on the faculty.”
Linda Petrosino ’77, M.S. ’78, dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, has agreed to serve during this interim period as provost and vice president for educational affairs. She served in the role of interim provost from 2014 to 2015, prior to Rifkin’s appointment. Associate dean John Sigg will serve as interim dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance until Petrosino returns to her role as dean.
“Linda is an outstanding leader with tremendous affection for Ithaca College, who has the respect of colleagues across campus,” said Rochon. “She performed deftly in the interim provost role in the past, and the college is very fortunate that she is willing to fulfill the role of provost once again.”
Rochon will not be conducting a search for a permanent provost. “It is in the best interest of the college to allow the next president to select a new provost who is most compatible with his or her vision and leadership approach,” said Rochon. “I am fully confident that Linda’s leadership during this period of transition will afford the college the stability and focus that are needed to help a new president transition effectively and determine the best path forward.”
https://www.ithaca.edu/intercom/article.php/20160719095644342