The Ithaca College board of trustees has named La Jerne Terry Cornish as interim president, effective August 30. She is expected to lead the college for the entire 2021-22 academic year.
Ithaca College enrolls more than 5,800 undergraduate students and about 400 graduate students according to the most recent data available from the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 57 percent of the undergraduate student body.
Dr. Cornish has been serving as provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at Ithaca College since 2018. Earlier, she was associate provost for undergraduate studies at Goucher College in Baltimore. She joined the faculty at Goucher in 1998 as an instructor of English.
“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 Dr. Cornish.
Dr. Cornish holds a bachelor’s degree in English and a master’s degree in education from Goucher College. She earned a Ph.D. in language, literacy, and culture from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.