| Ithaca College | |
|---|---|
| Motto | Commitment to Excellence |
| Established | 1892 |
| Type | Private with 5 schools and 2 divisions |
| Endowment | US $186 million[1] |
| President | Thomas Rochon |
| Academic staff | 673 |
| Admin. staff | 989 |
| Students | 6,448 |
| Undergraduates | 6,031 |
| Postgraduates | 417 |
| Location | Ithaca, NY, USA |
| Campus | Small city, 757 acres (3.06 km2) |
| Colors | Blue and Gold |
| Athletics | NCAA Division III |
| Nickname | "Bombers" |
| Affiliations | Empire 8, Associated New American Colleges |
| Website | ithaca.edu |
Ithaca College is a private college located on the South Hill of Ithaca, New York. The school was founded by William Egbert in 1892 as a conservatory of music. The college has a strong liberal arts core, but also offers several pre-professional programs and some graduate programs.[2] The college is also known internationally for its communications program: the Roy H. Park School of Communications. The college is set against the backdrop of Cayuga Lake, Cornell University, and several waterfalls and gorges. The college is perhaps best known for its large list of alumni who play or have played substantial roles in the world of broadcasting. The college has been ranked among the top ten master's universities in the North by U.S. News & World Report every year since 1996.[3] For the 2010 rankings, the college was ranked 7 in this category.[4]
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Ithaca College was founded as the Ithaca Conservatory of Music in 1892 when a local violin teacher, William Grant Egbert, rented four rooms and arranged for the instruction of eight students. For nearly seven decades the institution flourished in the city of Ithaca, adding to its music curriculum the study of elocution, dance, physical education, speech correction, radio, business, and the liberal arts. In 1931 the conservatory was chartered as a private college. The college was originally housed in the Boardman House, that later became the Ithaca College Museum of Art, and it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.[5]
By 1960, some 2,000 students were in attendance. A modern campus was built on South Hill in the sixties, and students were shuttled between the old and new during the construction. The hillside campus continued to grow in the ensuing 30 years to accommodate more than 6,000 students.
As the campus expanded, the college also began to expand its curriculum. By the 1990s, some 2,000 courses in more than 100 programs of study were available in the college's five schools.
The school attracts a multicultural student body with representatives from almost every state and from 78 foreign countries.[6]
Ithaca College's current campus was built in the 1960s on South Hill. In 1968 the College's final academic department moved to the South Hill campus from downtown, making the move complete.
Besides its Ithaca campus, Ithaca College also operates satellite campuses in London, UK; Washington, D.C.; Los Angeles, CA (James B. Pendleton Center); and Antigua.
Ithaca College also operates direct enrollment exchange programs with several universities, including Griffith University, La Trobe University, Murdoch University, and University of Tasmania (Australia); Chengdu Sport University and Beijing Sport University (China); University of Hong Kong; Masaryk University (Czech Republic); Akita International University and University of Tsukuba (Japan); Hanyang University (Korea); Nanyang Technological University (Singapore); University of Valencia (Spain); and Jönköping University (Sweden).[7]
The college offers a curriculum with more than 100 degree programs in its five schools.
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Schools
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Divisions
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Historically, various independent and national fraternities and sororities had active chapters at Ithaca College. However, due to a series of highly publicized hazing incidents in the 1980s, including one that was responsible for the death of a student, the College administration removed all but five Greek letter organizations from campus, and adopted a non-expansion policy, prohibiting any new Greek houses from affiliating with the College.[12] As of 2008, three recognized Greek organizations remain on campus, all of which are music oriented:
However, there are various Greek Letter Organizations at Ithaca College that are unaffiliated with the school, and therefore not subject to the same housing privileges or rules that contribute to the safety of their members such as non-hazing and non-drinking policies. While uncommon, it is permitted for Ithaca College students to pledge for Greek houses affiliated with Cornell University.
The Ithaca athletics nickname "Bombers" is unique in NCAA athletics, and the origins of the nickname are obscure. Ithaca College's sports teams were originally named the Cayugans, but the name was changed to the Bombers sometime in the 1930s. Several possibilities for the change have been posited. It may have made reference to the New York Yankees, who are known as the Bronx Bombers, or (less likely) boxer Joe Louis, known as the Brown Bomber. The most common explanation is that the school's baseball uniforms - white with navy blue pinstripes and an interlocking "IC" on the left chest - bear a striking resemblance to the distinctive home uniforms of the New York Yankees. It may also have referred to the Ithaca basketball team of that era and its propensity for half-court "bombs." Grumman Aircraft also manufactured airplanes including bombers in Ithaca for many years. The first “Bombers” reference on record was in the December 17, 1938 issue of the Rochester Times-Union in a men’s basketball article.[13]
The name has at times sparked controversy for its perceived martial connotations. It is an occasional source of umbrage from Ithaca's prominent pacifist community, but the athletics department has consistently stated it has no interest in changing the name.[13] The athletics logo has in the past, but currently does not, incorporated World War II era fighter planes.
Ithaca is a member of the NCAA's Division III, the Empire Eight Conference, and the Eastern College Athletic Conference. Ithaca has one of Division III's strongest athletic programs. The Bombers have won a total of 15 national titles in seven team sports and five individual sports.
Coached by Jim "Butts" Butterfield[14] for 27 years, the football team has won three NCAA Division III National Football Championships in 1979, 1988 and 1991 (a total surpassed only by Augustana and Mount Union). Bomber football teams made a record seven appearances in the Division III national championship game, the Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl, which has since been surpassed by Mount Union in 2003. The Bombers play the SUNY Cortland Red Dragons for the Cortaca Jug, which was added in 1959 to an already competitive rivalry. The matchup is one of the most prominent in Division III college football.[15]
Most recently, the women's crew won back-to-back NCAA Division III championships in 2004 and 2005.
Women's soccer has won two national championships in Division III and is consistently ranked in the top 20 nationally.
The Men's Wrestling team won NCAA Division III National Championships in 1989, 1990 and 1994.
Ithaca is also home to more than 60 club sports, many of which compete regularly against other colleges in leagues and tournaments.
Ithaca Forever is the official alma mater or school song of Ithaca College.[16]
Ithaca forever, shine your light on me
In our hearts together we shall always be
And here's to Ithaca, my Ithaca how beautiful you are,
Your Towers high upon South Hill, reach from stone to star.
Ithaca forever, I'll recall a smile,
Clasp a hand in friendship, walk a snowy mile,
And here's to Ithaca, my Ithaca - Alma Mater true,
Although I leave Cayuga's shore, I'll remember you.
Ithaca forever, guide us on our way,
Like a shining beacon, light our night and day,
And here's to Ithaca, my Ithaca, how bright your vision seems,
May all your sons and daughters dare to live their dreams.
Along with Intercollegiate athletics, Ithaca College has a rather large Intramural sport program. This extracurricular program serves approximately 25% of the undergraduate population yearly. Fourteen traditional team activities are offered throughout the year and include: basketball, flag football, kickball, soccer, softball, ultimate Frisbee and volleyball.
For most activities divisions are offered for men’s, women’s and co-recreational teams. Throughout the year usually two or more activities run concurrently and participants are able to play on a single sex team and co-recreational team for each activity. The most popular activities recently have been 5-on-5 basketball with over forty teams entered for the past three years, for the past two years there have been over thirty indoor flag football teams and teams have been turned away.
During 08-09 new records were established for total teams in both 4 person and 6 person volleyball, 3-on-3 basketball, and co-recreational indoor soccer. During the 08-09 year there were 1,559 intramural participants and over 500 female participants. It was estimated that the 2009-2010 year and the 2010-2011 have even more participants in intramural sports. [17]
Ithaca's School of Business was the first college or university business school in the world to achieve LEED Platinum Certification.[18] The College composts its dining hall waste,[19] runs a "Take It or Leave It" Green move-out program, and offers a sustainable living option.[20] It also operates an office supply collection and reuse program,[21] as well as a sustainability education program during new student orientation.[22] Ithaca received a B- grade on the Sustainable Endowments Institute's 2009 College Sustainability Report Card [23] and an A- for 2010.
Ithaca's current president is Thomas Rochon. Thomas Rochon was named the eighth president of Ithaca College on April 11, 2008.[24] Rochon took over as president of the college following Peggy Williams, who had announced on July 12, 2007 that she would retire from the presidency post effective May 31, 2009 following a one-year sabbatical.[25]
| President | Life | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
| W. Grant Egbert[26] | 1867–1928 | 1892–1924 |
| George C. Williams[27] | 1874–1971 | 1924–1932 |
| Leonard B. Job[28] | 1891–1981 | 1932–1957 |
| Howard I. Dillingham[29] | 1904–1998 | 1957–1970 |
| Ellis L. Phillips Jr.[30][31] | 1926–2006 | 1970–1975 |
| James J. Whalen[32][33] | 1927–2001 | 1975–1997 |
| Peggy R. Williams[34][35] | 1997–2008 |
Ithaca College has 49,570 alumni in the United States. There are alumni clubs for Boston, Chicago, Connecticut, Los Angeles, Metro New York, National Capital, N. & S. Carolina, Philadelphia, Rochester (NY), San Diego, and Southern Florida.[36] Alumni events are hosted in cooperation with the specific clubs and also through a program called 'IC on the Road'.[37]
Following is a brief list of noteworthy Ithaca College alumni and faculty. For a more extensive list, see main entry List of Ithaca College alumni.
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