Briefs: IC’s new president, Chili Cook-Off winners, more

La Jerne Terry Cornish named 10th president of Ithaca College

The Ithaca College Board of Trustees has voted unanimously to name La Jerne Terry Cornish, Ph.D., as the 10th president of Ithaca College. Cornish, who had been serving as interim president since Aug. 30, 2021, begins her new status as president immediately. In an announcement to the campus community, Ithaca College Board of Trustees Chair David H. Lissy, ’87, said that Cornish has the character, the fortitude and the passion to lead the institution at this important, transformational moment. “Her appointment ensures a seamless transition and unimpeded progress in advancing the college’s vision, mission and values,” Lissy said. “Building on the foundation and the momentum of the Ithaca Forever strategic plan, Dr. Cornish represents a new era of leadership for the college. She has a thorough grasp of the challenges before us and is ready to work collaboratively with the members of the IC community on campus and around the world to ensure that we lean into the significant opportunities that we have to secure a bright future for Ithaca College. The board has the utmost confidence in her ability to unite the college community and in her desire to lead in the pursuit of excellence.” Cornish was named interim president following the departure last summer of Shirley M. Collado. She joined Ithaca College as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs in July of 2018 and was later named provost and executive vice president. “I feel honored and blessed to have been chosen as the 10th president of Ithaca College, and I wish to thank the Board of Trustees, the Presidential Search Committee and our Ithaca College community for your trust in my leadership,” Cornish said. “This is a time of challenge but also of opportunity for the college. Together — with our commitment to the IC student experience firmly centered as our guide — we will move our college ever forward as we work to realize our vision to become a global destination for bold thinkers seeking to build thriving communities.” Learn more at ithaca.edu.

 

Winners of Chili Cook-Off announced

Downtown Ithaca’s 24th Annual Chili Cook-Off presented by Maguire Hyundai Subaru Genesis attendees and judges have spoken. The Chili Cook-Off winners of this year’s highly competitive cook-off are as follows: People’s Choice (online and in-person voting by attendees), Covered Bridge Market (based in Newfield); Best Presentation (online and in-person voting by attendees), Luna Inspired Street Food; Best Meat (voted by judges), Seabring Inn (based out of Newfield); Best Vegetarian (voted by judges), Kilpatrick’s Publick House; Best Vegan (voted by judges), Youth Entrepreneurship Market/Southside Community Center; Best Chili Inspired Item (voted by judges), Gorgers Subs; and Best Beverage, Monks on the Commons. “We thank our participants for creating some of the best-tasting and most innovative chilis and chili-inspired items ever,” said Scott Rougeau, special events director for the Downtown Ithaca Alliance, the event’s organizer. “We also thank everyone who came out to sample the impressive selection of chilis and chili-inspired items. Plus, we’re grateful to our sponsors Maguire Hyundai Subaru Genesis and Tioga State Bank for making this event possible. We hope to see everyone again next year.” For additional event information about Chili Cook-Off and Downtown Ithaca’s upcoming events, visit downtownithaca.com.

 

IPEI Adult Spelling Bee returns, champions crowned

The Ithaca Public Education Initiative (IPEI) held an updated version of its 22 years-running fundraising event, the Adult Spelling Bee, at Liquid State Brewing Company on March 5. “We’re excited to see this event return to the Ithaca philanthropic calendar and to re-envision this event by partnering with a local brewer and making the spelling even more interesting,” said Courtney Reinhart, IPEI’s president. Bee-witched (above) won this first Spelling Bee of the year by correctly spelling “acetaldehyde” in the championship round. “We’re really grateful to be able to return to in-person events, thankful to Ben and Jamey and the staff at Liquid State for hosting us, and looking forward to our Scavenger Hunt in April and our second Spelling Bee on May 15th at South Hill Cider!” said Steven Manley, IPEI’s executive director. IPEI’s fundraising events fund grants for Ithaca City School District teachers, schools and staff to support innovative ideas and meet immediate needs in classrooms in Ithaca’s 12 schools. IPEI recently served as the sponsor of the Ithaca Outdoor gear project, raising over $90,000 to purchase outdoor gear for every ICSD elementary school, furthering outdoor experiences year round for all students. Learn more about IPEI and register for an upcoming event at ipei.org

 

Elaine Westbrooks named Carl A. Kroch Cornell University librarian

Elaine L. Westbrooks, vice provost and university librarian at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has been named the next Carl A. Kroch university librarian at Cornell University. The appointment will take effect July 1 and was made by Provost Michael Kotlikoff and approved by the Executive Committee of the Cornell Board of Trustees. According to a Cornell Chronicle article, Westbrooks is “deeply committed to making scholarly publications more accessible and sustainable and to advancing diversity, equity and inclusion.” The appointment will have Westbrooks returning to Cornell, where she worked as a metadata librarian for eight years. “Elaine has the knowledge, experience and passion to ensure that a world-class research university with a global reach like Cornell has the library it depends on,” Kotlikoff told the Chronicle. “Under her leadership, Cornell University Library and Cornell University Press will continue to thrive in the digital age.” At UNC, Westbrooks oversees a library system that encompasses 10 libraries, nearly 10 million volumes and 300 librarians, archivists and staff members. “I’m passionate about creating a better world,” Westbrooks told the Chronicle. “I’m passionate about the important role that libraries play in democracy and the important roles that the library plays in advancing the mission of a university like Cornell: a land-grant, an Ivy, a New York state school, all the special things about Cornell; you have to have a great library. And a library can’t be great if it’s not truly committed to being the best library it can be for everybody.” Learn more by reading the full Cornell Chronicle story at tinyurl.com/yautprwt.

 

Statement from President Martha Pollack regarding the war in Ukraine

The following is a statement from Martha Pollack, president of Cornell University, released March 2 of this year:
“Over the last week, the world has watched Russia’s deplorable and unprovoked invasion of the sovereign nation of Ukraine, an attack that is both devastating for the people of Ukraine and has deeply impacted countless others, including members of our own community. My heart goes out to each of them. We have reached out directly to our students from Ukraine and Russia to offer support and resources. We have confirmed that no Cornell students, faculty or staff are registered to be in Ukraine or Russia at this time. Nor do we have any academic programs currently operating in Ukraine or Russia. The Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, of which I am a member, has taken the lead in pushing for protections and work permits for Ukrainian students. And I assure you that Cornell will work to offer safe harbor and refuge to scholars and students displaced by the unrest, as we have after other international tragedies. Cornell’s rich diversity of lived experience, knowledge and understanding positions us to convene thoughtful conversations about an extraordinarily difficult moment in history. Professor Emeritus and Nobel Laureate Roald Hoffmann coordinated a statement signed by 163 Nobel Laureates, which I urge you to read. Numerous Cornell faculty members have spoken to the crisis and its implications in national and global media. And on Friday afternoon, the university is hosting a faculty panel that is open to the public. As is always true during times of crisis, our community must, and I know will, rise to support one another. I hope fervently for a rapid, peaceful and just resolution to this terrible situation.” Read the full statement at statements.cornell.edu/2022/20220302-ukraine.cfm