Ithaca College

Submitted on behalf of Ernie McClatchie

Congratulations and farewell to Victor Rosa, who has announced that he will retire from the college on January 3rd after 17 years of dedicated service.  Victor began working at the college in 1999 as a Facilities Attendant and in 2000 transferred into the Grounds Department as a Groundskeeper.

Victor, commonly known to most as simply Vic, has been a highly visible member of the Office of Facilities for many years.  Some of you may not know Vic by name but could easily identify him by simply being given the following description:  A dedicated individual who greets everyone he sees with a smile and warm welcome, while he continues to water the flowers or sweep the stairs.  Vic is known to many as the "flower guy" and the person responsible for keeping them looking so beautiful all season long.  He has shared many trade secrets and answered many questions from members of the campus community.

Vic has been awarded multiple awards for his work.  Most notably in 2008, Victor received the Ithaca Rotary Club Award for his work and dedication as it related to the beautification of the Ithaca College campus through his flower plantings.  Victor was also honored by Esquire Magazine in September of 2012 as an "Employee of the Month" for his work and also for the wisdom he imparts on those he interacts with.

Vic's contributions to the campus community have not only been through his work activities, but also his extracurricular activities.  He has spent numerous hours outside of work participating in activities and projects with students and other staff to create a wonderful experience for all of those involved.  Some of Vic's contributions have come through being a member of IC Voices, a representative to Staff Council, playing music for many different events on campus and hosting and producing his own radio show on WICB, Ritmo Latino.

It has been a true pleasure to work with Vic as he has always come to work with the best interests of the campus community in mind and has done all he could to positively affect it.  He has contributed to the positive experience many faculty, staff, students, and general visitors have had here at the campus.  We wish Vic all the best with retirement and thank him for his significant contributions!