Ithaca College to have interim president for upcoming academic year

The school went on to say that the board of trustees will be using the time during the transition to “thoughtfully consider and evaluate the best approach to planning for the next Ithaca College president.”

In a message to the campus community, David Lissy, who chairs the board of trustees and vice chair Jim Nolan “expressed confidence” in Cornish’s ability to lead the college during the coming year. They noted that since her appointment as provost in 2018, Cornish has played a “significant role” in partnering with Collado on decision-making processes related to the overall direction of the institution.

“She steered the development and implementation of the Ithaca Forever strategic plan and helped ensure that students and faculty were able to successfully navigate the challenges of the pandemic this past academic year — one of the most challenging in the college’s history,” they wrote. “We are very confident that the strong and steady leadership that she has already demonstrated, in concert with an accomplished and dedicated senior leadership team, will provide the continuity and momentum that will serve the college well as we continue to achieve forward progress.”

Cornish said that she is honored to be given this opportunity.

“I want to thank the board of trustees for placing its trust in me and in our leadership team, and I look forward to working on behalf of our students, faculty, and staff to maintain the positive trajectory generated by the launch of our strategic plan,” said Cornish. “I also want to thank President Collado for establishing such a solid foundation from which to advance this important work.”

On behalf of the board of trustees, Lissy and Nolan offered their congratulations to Collado on her new appointment at College Track and expressed their “deepest appreciation” for her service to Ithaca College over the past four years.

Co-founded in 1997 by philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs, Oakland, California–based College Track works in collaboration with the nearby Emerson Collective to remove the academic, financial, and social-emotional barriers that keep first-generation students from low-income communities from completing college and thriving in the workforce, as described in the Ithaca College news release.