Ithaca College

Dear Ithaca College community,

For the last nine years, I had the great privilege and honor to serve on the Ithaca College Board of Trustees. For the final six, I led the board as chair. Serving as a trustee gave me an opportunity to express my love for Ithaca College and my desire to help advance the mission of this institution.

My service on the board ran its course at the end of May, and since then I have taken time to reflect on my years on the board and how profoundly they have touched my life. I am writing to you now to thank you, and to share my heartfelt gratitude for your investment in this college and in this community.

I know that President Collado recently shared a message with you forecasting the work ahead for the upcoming year, particularly the building of a strategic plan for Ithaca College. This is a pivotal time for the college that will challenge our community to work across divisions, departments, and differences to sustain the success of our institution. As a trustee for the past nine years—and during my more than four decades as a member of the IC family—I have witnessed a resilient community that is deeply invested in student success and institutional excellence. The forward motion of Ithaca College lies in your hands. I know great things are in store for IC and I am grateful to have been able to contribute to the evolution of this institution.

As the trustees start planning for the new academic year and for their own participation in the strategic planning process, they do so under the leadership of alumni Dave Lissy ’87 as chair and Jim Nolan ’77 as vice chair. Dave and Jim are talented, accomplished leaders who are deeply committed to Ithaca College. I cannot think of two better people to steer the course of the board and the college during their terms over the next three years.

Ithaca College has been a tremendous part of my life since 1976, when I came to campus as a first-year student. IC remains a tremendous part of my life today. I am now—and always will be—proud of this institution and dedicated to its students, faculty, staff, and alumni.

As you can imagine, it is bittersweet to end a period in my life that has held such personal importance, but I do so with a full heart, and with pride in my experience as a trustee and pride in the strong community we have all created. I want to reiterate my gratitude to my fellow board members and to the college administrators, staff, faculty, and students with whom I worked during my time as board chair. What a pleasure it was.

I look forward to returning to campus soon, and I give you my best wishes for the coming academic year.

Warmly,

Tom Grape
Chair Emeritus, Ithaca College Board of Trustees