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Ithaca College president to resign following student, faculty backlash

Taylor Maycan
USA TODAY
Ithaca College President Tom Rochon

Embattled Ithaca College President Tom Rochon announced Thursday that he will step down from his position effective July 1, 2017.

"This timing will enable the board of trustees the necessary time to organize and execute a thoughtful and comprehensive search for my successor," he said in a statement released on the college's website.

His move comes after months of protests on the Ithaca, N.Y., campus demanding his resignation, which began in early November.

Students argued Rochon, who has served as the college’s president since 2008, responded poorly to several alleged racist incidents on campus and fostered a negative racial climate. The majority of students and faculty alike voted “no confidence” in Rochon in December – polling at 78% and 71.75%, respectively.

During the protests, which included a solidarity walk, Rochon steadfastly said he would not step down. But he's now joining the ranks of several other university administrators who resigned from their positions after an unprecedented wave of student protesters claiming systematic racism on campuses overtook the nation last fall.

“I believe it is best for IC to be led in the future by a president chosen by the board specifically to make a fresh start on these challenges, including those that became so apparent to us all last semester,” Rochon said in Thursday’s statement. "It has been a privilege to lead the college through a time of challenge and change."

Reactions to his resignation have, thus far, been predominantly positive:

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Dominick Recckio, Ithaca's student government association president, was among those who were pleased to hear of Rochon's impending departure. But for Recckio, it isn't coming quickly enough. He forsees more protests on campus in the interim period.

"A year and half between now and him leaving is frustrating in some sense," Recckio tells USA TODAY College. "How do we get a whole community to focus on our future? That is going to be hard with him still there and when no one has confidence in him."

The college announced in a separate statement also released Thursday that it will start searching for a new president this summer and "solicit input from faculty, students, staff and alumni" during the process. And while Recckio says he trusts the college's board of trustees will bring "some stability" to campus, he worries about the timing of their decision.

"That is also a frustrating decision, you know? Starting the process that should be inclusive during the summer when students and faculty are not around," Recckio says. "I hope that they let students, faculty and staff be a part of the process -- I imagine they will."

Rochon's full statement on his resignation is below:

Dear Ithaca College Faculty, Staff, Students, Parents, Alumni, and Friends:

After much reflection over the winter break, I have decided to retire from the Ithaca College presidency effective July 1, 2017, following the 2016–2017 academic year. This timing will enable the board of trustees the necessary time to organize and execute a thoughtful and comprehensive search for my successor.

I am proud of the progress and accomplishments achieved by the college over what will be a nine-year tenure as president. Together we have created and implemented the key elements of an ambitious strategic plan, IC 20/20. We brought new levels of excellence to areas that needed our concerted focus, including consistency of academic advising, support of community-based learning, development of a student-alumni mentoring network, and the establishment of a general education program that is destined to become a national model. Our ICNYC program in New York City has joined our long-established centers in London and Los Angeles as an opportunity for students to combine coursework and internships in one of the world's greatest cities. The Center for Faculty Excellence and the flexible faculty workload model both create additional opportunities for faculty to offer the truly excellent educational experiences that have long characterized Ithaca College.

Perhaps most important in this era of economic constraints, we have introduced administrative and operational efficiencies that preserve first-class, student-oriented service while enabling us to hold tuition increases down to historically low levels and more than double the college's financial aid budget to nearly $120 million projected for next year.

At the same time, I recognize that colleges evolve through eras defined by new opportunities and challenges. I believe it is best for IC to be led in the future by a president chosen by the board specifically to make a fresh start on these challenges, including those that became so apparent to us all last semester. I look forward to working with the college community over the next 18 months in a constructive and collaborative way, making progress on issues of diversity and inclusion, shared governance, and decision making. I also want to work toward reestablishing a stronger and more unified sense of the educational vision and cultural values that make Ithaca College so distinctively excellent. I am fully committed to working toward these outcomes and urge the community to join together to help prepare the college to attract a highly qualified leader to succeed me.

Ithaca College is a very special educational environment, centered on student learning and development across liberal arts and professional fields and committed to the highest ideals of creating an inclusive community of justice and respect. It has been a privilege to lead the college through a time of challenge and change. I look forward to working with the campus community in the months ahead, and to supporting the board in any way I can during the search and transition to a new president.

Sincerely,

Tom Rochon

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.

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