Ithaca College

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

As we embark on a new academic year, I would like to share with you all some critical updates within the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Life. Also, I would like to share with you all a snapshot of the great work that took place this past academic year, check out our Student Affairs and Campus Life year in review.

Student Health and Wellness

Last spring, we began a national search to fill the position of Executive Director for Student Wellness. Unfortunately, we were unable to identify an appropriate candidate to serve in this role. As a result, Dean of Students Bonnie Solt Prunty will be assuming responsibility for overseeing this area for the current academic year. She will work with the management team in Counseling, Health and Wellness to focus on the integration of all student health and wellness programs, and we will review the effectiveness of this structure to determine whether or not we need an executive director position moving forward.

Over the summer, we did move forward with our plans to hire directors for Counseling and Psychological Services (CAPS) and the Hammond Health Center. Dr. Ellyn Sellers-Selin, who did an exemplary job as interim medical director for the Health Center, has agreed to serve as the permanent director. And following a national search, I am pleased to announce that Brian Petersen, Psy.D., will be joining us as Director of Counseling and Psychological Services on Monday, September 16. Brian previously was Associate Director/Coordinator of Consultation and Outreach Services for the Counseling Center at Pace University.

Also, as recently announced in Intercom, CAPS is providing a new service for students, the CAPS After-hours On-call Counselor. This service is available by calling the CAPS main phone number at (607) 274-3136 anytime CAPS is closed, including nights, weekends, holidays, and during campus closures.

In late May, we also welcomed Rebecca Cogan as our new Program Director for Case Management. Rebecca serves in a critical role coordinating our ICare Team for Students in Distress, which facilitates the academic and personal success of students, contributes to the safety of the campus community, and enhances student retention.

Residential Life and Judicial Affairs

As announced in Intercom in early July, Marsha Dawson has joined us as the new Director of Residential Life and Judicial Affairs. After 31 years of service at Ithaca College, Mike Leary retired from his position as Assistant Director of Judicial Affairs in July. We are conducting a national search to fill that position. In the interim, Ron Trunzo, Associate Director of Residential Life and Judicial Affairs, is providing leadership for the judicial affairs area.

Center for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Social Change (IDEAS)

After helping launch our Center for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Social Change (IDEAS), Sean Eversley Bradwell has transitioned back to the academic world to serve as an assistant professor in the Department of Education and faculty associate with the Martin Luther King Scholar program. We deeply appreciate Sean’s leadership as director during the Center’s first year on campus. Associate Director RahK Lash is serving as the interim Director of the Center, and we plan to launch a national search for Sean’s successor sometime this fall.

Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports

Following the retirements of two hall of fame coaches—Deb Pallozzi in softball and George Valesente ’66 in baseball—we completed successful searches for the newest members of the Bomber family. Hannah Shalett Quintana ’07, who is already in the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame from her playing days, joined us from Skidmore College as head softball coach. David Valesente, who founded the baseball program at Wells College, is our new head baseball coach. Lastly, Lauren Hoffman just joined us as the new Intramural Sports Coordinator.

Food Security Resources

The permanent Food Pantry in the Campus Center will begin its fall hours on Tuesday, August 30. Regular hours will be Tuesdays from 6-7 p.m. and Fridays from 4-5:30 p.m. The mobile food pantry will continue coming to campus once a month, with the first visit on Tuesday, September 3, from noon-1 p.m. at the north loading dock of the Athletics and Events Center. Please bring a reusable grocery bag when using either service. Check out the resources to support food security.

Additions to Student Affairs & Campus Life

As of July 1, the Office of Career Services and the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network are under the Division of Student Affairs and Campus life. This intentional move will allow for an integration between the work of both offices and student engagement within our division. Kristin LiBritz, who has served as the interim director of career services for the past year, will continue in the role for this academic year. Samantha Bobbe serves as the BOLD Program Director for Ithaca College.

Remaining Student-Centered 
In closing, I will continue to keep the community updated around any future changes. I look forward to an engaging academic year as we launch the implementation our strategic plan. Best of luck with the semester!