SPECIAL EDITION
SPORTS PREVIEW Get an inside look at the nine varsity fall sports as they prepare to break into action.
Th ursday
S ep t e m be r 1 , 2 0 1 1
All That
spirit driven
Senior corner and defensive captain plays with heavy heart as he recalls late father, page 27
Nostalgic college students try to bring back ’90s, page 19
The Ithacan
It ha ca , N . Y. Volume 7 9 , Is s u e 1
Convocation sets intellectual goals IC vision plan
set in motion By brian rank staff writer
From left, Marisa Kelly, provost and vice president of academic affairs, and President Tom Rochon proceed to Convocation on Monday.
Michelle Boulé/The Ithacan
By erica palumbo Assistant news editor
As students stepped into the Ben Light Gymnasium Monday, they also stepped into a new chapter of their lives. President Tom Rochon, along with several faculty members and students, advised the incoming class to view college as the
first step in their lifelong journeys. “By the time you complete your journey of learning, you should be wealthy with experience and insight,” he said. “I do want to say that I hope your time here will only be part of your journey. It is continuous — and your time at Ithaca College will be a part that is particularly rich.”
Despite rough weather from Hurricane Irene, Monday’s sunny skies set a positive tone for the class of 2015 at the 2011 Convocation ceremony. The freshmen buzzed with anticipation as they filtered into this year’s introductory
The Ithaca College community will soon begin to see the college’s 10-year vision plan take shape as tangible changes to the institution go into effect this academic year. This summer, the college’s board of trustees approved IC 20/20, a 10-year strategic plan to enhance the student college experience and be a step ahead of other colleges and universities. The plan, assembled from the recommendations of eight committees, suggests three main themes: creating an integrative core curriculum to broaden the diversity of courses and off-campus opportunities in each course of study; redefining professor’s duties to allow more flexibility to include students in projects outside the course curriculum; and requiring more community engagement and volunteerism by students. Students will see the first effects of the plan when a pilot program for communications and business students launches a New York City Center and accepts its first class. The program was originally scheduled for this fall but moved to the spring because of lack of time and resources, Marisa Kelly, provost and vice president of academic affairs, said. Kelly said a China Center and a strengthened program in Washington, D.C., in collaboration with Cornell University would join the list of offerings in the future. Kelly said the second change the college will focus on during the next few years will be the integrative core curriculum. The new curriculum is aimed at increasing collaboration between schools and adding requirements for students to take more courses outside their particular
See convocation, page 4
See Vision, page 4
College launches new rebranding campaign to bolster competition Reuben said the brand identity and logo have come a long way since last spring. She Ithaca College officially launched a rebrand- describes the “Ready” brand identity as a filling and advertising campaign today to better in-the-blank where students can fill in a short description of how the college has prepared market the college locally and nationwide. The campaign started with the launch of them for life after school. The college’s logo has also undergone the college’s updated website and logo yesterday, but Rachel Reuben, associate vice many major changes from the institution’s president at the Office of Marketing Com- previous signage, which displayed “Ithaca” munications, said the initial changes are just in uppercase letters. In March, students had the beginning of a set of marketing standards the option of choosing one of two designs. After gathering feedback, Reuben said, the the college will implement across campus as college decided to alter the options. The new part of a strategic advertising effort. logo disReuben plays the said the colfull “Ithaca lege initiated College” the rebrandname in ing campaign navy blue last August uppercase to find clear, The logo launched today as part of the rebranding initiative. letters, with consistent courtesy of ithaca college an intermessages and visuals to use throughout the college. The col- locked “I” and “C” in the middle of a shield to lege also wanted the initiative to coincide with the left of the college name. Bonny Griffith, director for recruitment the IC 20/20 vision plan and address the issue of increasing competition among universities. marketing at the Office of Marketing ComThough the site’s navigation and content munications, said the new logo clears up did not change, Reuben describes the updates confusion that audience members have between the Ithaca area and the college. as a “fresh coat of paint.” “It brings the word ‘college’ back into our The website features two stories of students whose college experiences made them logo,” she said. “That’s been a challenge for “Ready” for the future. The “micro-site,” itha- us in recent years because Ithaca is a city ca.edu/ready, includes 12 additional “Ready” and it’s an entity that people know not just student stories, photos and videos, which as a college.” Though the college has done some adwill cycle throughout the year.
By nicole ogrysko staff writer
Rachel Reuben, associate vice president of the Office of Marketing Communications, sifts through pages with the new Ithaca College logo. The rebranding initiative was launched today. rachel orlow/The Ithacan
vertising in the past, Reuben said beginning tomorrow, the marketing office will roll out a comprehensive strategic advertising campaign by placing advertisements in Google searches, The New York Times and Facebook, in addition to publications in the Finger Lakes region. She said the college will focus on New York City and the Northeast region later this fall and spring. When the rebranding initiative began last
f ind m or e. onl ine. www.t heit hacan.org
August, the college partnered with marketing firm SimpsonScarborough to perform market research with prospective students. “In small pockets we were known for a fantastic music school and a state-of-the-art communications school, but it wasn’t largely known,” Reuben said. “Many people have heard of the ‘Ithaca College’ name, but we re-
See brand, page 4