Ithaca College

Posted on behalf of Dr. Rosanna Ferro, Vice President for Student Affairs and Campus Life

In my message on May 1st, I shared with you a comprehensive update on the changes that were taking place within the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Life. At this time, I would like to reiterate the major changes and provide a few more updates on where we are in this collaborative process. Again, I want to emphasize that the vision for the work that we are doing will 1) continue to be student-centered, and 2) be innovative and intentional in supporting our students and helping them thrive during their time at Ithaca College and beyond.

Dean of Students
Bonnie Prunty assumed her new role as Dean of Students on June 1. Her portfolio includes: Residential Life and Judicial Affairs, Case Management, and the newly created Office of New Student and Transition Programs. Her office is located in the VP of Student Affairs & Campus Life suite in Egbert 330.

Residential Life and Judicial Affairs
Ron Trunzo is serving as Interim Director of Residential Life and Judicial Affairs and Beth O’Neill as Interim Associate Director of Residential Life and Judicial Affairs. Their offices are in the Residential Life main office at 2001 East Tower. 

Campus Center
Sybil Conrad is now the Director of the Campus Center and Jess Schapiro is the new Assistant Director of the Campus Center. Their office is located in the McDonald Office Suite on the 2ndfloor of the Campus Center. 

OSEMA & LGBTQ Education, Outreach and Services
As I shared in my previous messages, the Office of Student Engagement and Multicultural Affairs has become three distinct offices that will each concentrate on critical aspects of our student experience and keenly focus on our students’ sense of belonging.

The Student Leadership and Involvement unit formerly of OSEMA will now be called the Office of Student Engagement. While the name of the office is changing, the focus on leadership development, supporting student organizations, and community service will remain the same. Michele Lenhart is now the Director of Student Engagement, Mary Holland-Bavis is now the Associate Director of Student Involvement, and Don Austin, Patti Banfield, and Brittany Watros will remain in their same positions. Samantha Stafford has moved into Residential Life as the new Assistant Director of Residential Education & Assessment. The search for a new Assistant Director for Leadership Programs is being finalized and an announcement is forthcoming. The office will remain in their current location on the 3rd floor of the Campus Center in the same suite as the Office of New Student & Transition Programs.

Offices of Multicultural Affairs; Programs and Outreach; & LGBTQ Education, Outreach and Services
The former Office of Multicultural Affairs and Office of Programs & Outreach have been united to establish the Center for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Social Change (IDEAS).  The Center for IDEAS will focus on aspects of inclusion, diversity, equity, and social change.  Dr. Sean Eversley Bradwell is serving as the Director and RahK Lash, is serving as the Associate Director.  The search for an Assistant Director is being finalized and an announcement is forthcoming. Both the Center for IDEAS and the IDEAS Student Lounge (formerly the Multicultural Student Lounge) are located on the 3rdfloor of the Campus Center. The new student lounge is located in the space where the Buttermilk Conference Room was located. 

In addition, Luca Maurer, former Program Director for LGBTQ Education, Outreach and Services has been promoted to Director of LGBTQ Education, Outreach and Services.  In this new full-time, year-round position, Luca will work in partnership with the Center for IDEAS staff to enhance and develop new programming collaborations. Luca’s office will remain in its current location on the ground level of the Hammond Health Center.

The Office of First-Year Experience is now under the newly reconfigured Office of New Student and Transition Programs under the Dean of Students' portfolio. It will focus on various transitional phases of the student experience as they navigate into and through IC. The office will specifically coordinate programs and services such as the First-Year Experience (FYE), the Sophomore-Year Experience (SYE), the First Generation Program (Ithaca Firsts), and family engagement initiatives. More details about other programs are still being developed and will be shared in the near future.  Dr. Jacqueline Winslow is the Director, Kevin Perry is the Associate Director and there will be a national search this Fall for an Assistant Director. Their office is located on the 3rdfloor of the Campus Center in the same suite as the Office of Student Engagement.

Religious Communities and Muller Chapel
We ran a successful search for the new Director of Religious & Spiritual Life. Hierald Osorto will be joining the IC community on September 4th  as the first Director of Religious & Spiritual Life. More information will be shared soon about Mr. Osorto in a separate intercom announcement. His office will be located in the lower level of Muller Chapel. 

Counseling, Health and Wellness 

Comprehensive External Review
The external review of counseling, health and wellness is wrapping up. Keeling & Associates, our partners in this external review, were on campus in late July. During their visit, they conducted informative meetings and gathered feedback from providers, students, faculty, and other key stakeholders. We look forward to receiving their report sometime in September. 

Interim Leadership
First, I would like to thank all of the staff in Counseling, Health and Wellness for their patience and flexibility as we conduct this review. It has been a pleasure to have individuals agree to serve in leadership roles to ensure we have a smooth transition. As of June 1st, Sasha Lerner and Alice Meilman have been serving as interim co-directors of CAPS and will remain in that role through December 31. Dr. Ellyn Sellers-Selin will be the interim director of the health center through January 2019. There will be a national search for a leader of this area later during the Fall semester. The specifics of the leadership structure and roles will be informed by the recommendations of the external review.