Ithaca College president pleaded no contest to sexual-abuse charge in 2001

ITHACA, N.Y. — Shirley M. Collado, president of Ithaca College since July, pleaded no contest to a misdemeanor sexual-abuse charge in 2001, she said in a message on the school’s website.

“I want to unequivocally state now, as I did then, that the accusations in the court documents are simply not true. If I had had more resources and was not dealing with my significant loss, I probably would have fought the charge. But I did what I felt was in my best interest at that time and followed my lawyer’s advice,” Collado wrote.

Collado said she was addressing the matter because, “an anonymous source has been circulating misleading information to other colleges and universities and their news outlets about a traumatic time in my life that took place almost 20 years ago.”

In the message, she explained that she took a leave of absence from training as a trauma specialist in Washington, D.C., after her husband of three years committed suicide. During that time, she allowed a former patient to live with her and her roommate, “but after a brief period I realized that I could not provide the support she was looking for while I myself was trying to heal.”

Shortly after helping the former patient move out, Callado learned she was making allegations about abuse. “I suddenly found myself fighting a misdemeanor sexual abuse charge for allegedly having touched her once in a sexual manner above her clothing while she was under my treatment at the center,” she wrote.

“I fought the charge to the best of my ability, but my fighting spirit was limited by so many things. I was in my 20s, had very little money and resources, and was grieving a profound personal loss,” Collado wrote. So she took her attorney’s advice and pleaded no contest.

A no-contest plea, which is not accepted in New York courts, allows a defendant to accept conviction without admitting guilt.

“In light of the resurfacing of this legal action, I want to unequivocally state now, as I did then, that the accusations in the court documents are simply not true. If I had had more resources and was not dealing with my significant loss, I probably would have fought the charge. But I did what I felt was in my best interest at that time and followed my lawyer’s advice.”

Collado noted that despite the allegations, she continued her work in trauma, mental health, race, culture and gender and thanked the college’s board of trustees for its “unwavering support and compassion.”

Contact McChesney at cmcchesney@cnybj.com