February 28, 2024
Reporter: Tiffany Bloss
Wednesday’s meeting:Mike Brown, Rotarian
“Pilots: Looking Down on People Since 1903”
COLTIVARE and on Zoom
WELCOME & TRADITIONS
NOTE: you can watch previous meetings by going to our YouTube channel!
The meeting was called to order at 12:17 PM by “Les Six” President Dale Flinn. He promptly shared some of his useless facts of the day: women blink two times more than men; pogonophobia is the fear of beards; on average, 100 people per year choke on ballpoint pens; and on average, each human spends a collective two weeks of their lives kissing. Then all were asked to stand, as able, for the Four-Way Test.
President Dale introduced our guests from the podium:
- Celia Clarke
- Gladys Brangman, guest of Millie Clarke-Maynard
- Brady Bond, guest of Stacy McNeil
- La Jerne Terry Cornish, guest of Beverly Baker and our speaker
- Paula Younger, Ithaca College, guest of Beverly Baker
- Jaime Hughes, guest of Sherrie Negrea
- Megan Omohundro, guest of Angela Sullivan
- Baruch Whitehead, Ithaca College
- The Salvation Army Brass Band, guests of Captain Stacy McNeil, including Ben Payton (Band Master), Walter Goldenshoe, Sunshine Goldenshoe, Molly Shoemaker, Major Lucy Jordan, Madison and Emily McNeil, Captain Shawn McNeil
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
Warren Allmon chose the topic of agency: should we be actively trying to solve problems, or should we be focused on other things?
Warren shared the traditional Serenity Prayer: “Lord, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; the courage to change the things I can; and the wisdom to know the difference.” He has come to think more about the version by activist Angela Davis: “I am no longer accepting the things I cannot change. I am changing the things I cannot accept.”
These two sayings point to two essential human responses—hope and action—both are needed to be kept alive. Hope gets us up in the morning, and action keeps us physically alive. How do we know what to follow on a daily basis? We need to follow both! “To live without hope is to cease to live,” said Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Warren finds himself closest to the thoughts of writer Roxane Gay and what was said in a New York Times article a few years ago: “Instead of thinking about hope, I want to continue thinking about possibilities. When we hope, we have no control over what may come to pass. We put all our trust and energy into the whims of fate. We abdicate responsibility. We allow ourselves to be complacent. We are all just people living our lives as best we can, aren’t we? It is easy to feel helpless. It is much harder to make ourselves uncomfortable by imagining the impossible to be possible. But we can do that. We can act, even in the smallest of ways.”
ANNOUNCEMENTS
Paul Martin: our current in-bound students have a district-wide orientation on Saturday, March 9
th in Greene, so there is a need for transportation for these students to and from Dryden (where they will catch rides to Greene). Then for RYLA (Rotary Youth Leadership Awards), Richard Kiely needs one more person to help with interviews of RYLA candidates from 8 to 9 AM on March 26
th and 27
th. Contact Paul if you can help with either request:
paulmartinjr0@gmail.com or 607/227-4909.
Ravi Walsh for the Membership Committee: if you are interested in being a mentor for a new Rotarian, please write your name on one of the sign-up sheets provided at each table.
President Dale: all are encouraged to attend the Rotary Leadership Institute on Saturday, March 2nd. The cost is $35, with $30 to be reimbursed by the club.
ROTARY FOUNDATION/PAUL HARRIS FELLOW
Dale Flinn, speaking as Rotary Foundation Chair, gave an update on our donations to the Foundation. Our Annual Programs fund has a goal of $27K for the year ending June 30th; at the end of February, we have given $24,606 towards that goal. And we had set a goal of $4K for the End Polio Now program, and members have donated $2,020 so far. Thank you for your support!
Since July 1,2023, there are two new Paul Harris Fellows (when a Rotarian has accumulated $1,000 in giving). Two individuals have made PHF +3; two individuals have earned +4; and one individual has achieved +6. All receive a certificate and pin—and remember that donations do accumulate over time.
Today we recognize one of our new Paul Harris Fellows, Sherrie Negrea. Sherrie spoke of being a Rotarian for seven years and increasing her giving recently. She follows the example of her mother, who passed a year and a half prior and who was a philanthropist at heart. Rotary makes a true difference in the community and in the world. Sherrie was involved in the Ukraine project last year and believes Rotary is the only program where you get to collaborate globally and is grateful for that gift.
President Dale reminds us about TRF Direct, which is donating directly to Rotary through automatic withdrawals. There is a minimum of $10, but it can be set at any frequency.
LAST WEEK’S PRESENTATION
Ithaca College President La Jerne Terry Cornish: “Leading Through a Time of Change”
Introduced by Brett Bossard, President Cornish is in her second year as President of Ithaca College. She hails from Baltimore and is the 10th President of IC.
President Cornish took office on March 7, 2022. Prior to this appointment, she served as Interim President from August 2021 to March 2022, and as Provost and Executive Vice President after joining IC as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs in July 2018.
President Cornish discussed the importance of being present and listening to those around you. Trust begins by being consistent. Show up when you say you will. You can build trust more by listening than by talking. This is true on campus, in the community, and across the country with alumni.
Dr. Cornish has a commitment to Ithaca College—to be there for the long haul. She was the 7
th President in a twelve-year span. There have been challenges all around, and COVID had a strong effect on enrollment. In 2018, 1,666 students enrolled as Freshmen; in 2019, 1,506 students enrolled; in 2020, 995 students enrolled; in 2021, 1,163 students enrolled; in 2022, 1,410 students enrolled; and in 2023, 1,300 students enrolled as Freshmen. The ideal number is around 1,400 incoming students each year. On May 19, 2024, IC will graduate the Freshmen who came in the year of COVID.
President Cornish served as the primary architect of Ithaca Forever, the college’s five-year strategic plan, along with Jason Freitag, Associate Professor in the Department of History. Cornish and Freitag worked with a 15-member steering committee composed of faculty, staff, students, and members of the Ithaca-area community. The plan was created during the 2018–19 academic year and formally endorsed by the Ithaca College Board of Trustees in June 2019.
The plan, which contains nine transformative goals, aims to achieve the college’s vision of becoming a global destination for bold thinkers seeking to build thriving communities. Understanding the urgent need for significant and visionary change in the higher education business model, Ithaca Forever provides a blueprint for a sustainable future anchored by a commitment to inclusive, responsive, and student-centered action.
Live the mission to Educate, Engage and Empower through Theory, Practice and Performance. The institutional priorities for 2023-2024 are:
- Improve Ithaca College’s financial sustainability through the development and implementation of a comprehensive marketing and enrollment strategy that results in a stabilized enrollment pattern of 1,380 to 1,420 new full-time undergraduate students each year. New VP for Marketing & Communication and a new VP for Enrollment Management & Student Success. ED for Government, Community & Constituent Relations (Paula Younger).
- Increase student retention and graduation through a data-informed student success and retention strategy. Support students reaching their greatest strengths. Created a Center for Student Retention. Rebranded and launched improved Career Center. NACE Competencies are focused: Career & Self-Development, Communication, Critical Thinking, Equity & Inclusion, Leadership, Professionalism, Teamwork, Technology— things employers are looking for. Launched a Center for Equity, Inclusion & Belonging in July 2023.
- Develop a comprehensive philanthropy and engagement strategy to increase financial support for the college while also supporting our enrollment, student retention, and student success goals. Hired new VP for Philanthropy & Engagement. Held an Alumni Networking event in LA with over 200 members in attendance and held Board meeting. In April will go to NYC to celebrate Ithaca, NY. In June will go to London for 50th anniversary for IC London.
- Continue to build the infrastructure that will facilitate the college’s transformation from a school-based mindset to an institutional mindset, fostering student exploration and faculty collaboration through the development of systems, structures, and processes that are institutional rather than school specific, where appropriate. Working to make curriculum more flexible and accessible.
U.S. News & World Report celebrates Ithaca College for the following: #1 in Undergraduate Teaching, #2 for Most Innovative Schools , #13 for Best Colleges & Universities in the Region, and #16 for the Best Value.
Ithaca College is meeting the challenges seen in recent years and is focused on an institutional mindset versus a school mindset.
HAPPY DOLLARS
Stacy McNeil: happy for the Salvation Army Band and Brady Bond, the new Community Outreach Director at The Salvation Army- Millie Clarke-Maynard: happy for President Cornish, Dr. Baruch Whitehead, and Gladys Brangman
- Jeremiah Craig: thankful for the terrific IC presentation and the fact that Paul Martin came to see his show (and stayed until midnight!)
- Heidi Goldstein: spent three days in the hospital and is grateful for the support of her fellow Rotarians
- Sarah Segal: thankful for Dr. Cornish’s presentation and a successful mission trip to Cuba with her husband
- Geoff Dunn: happy to have Paula Younger, Dr. Luvelle Brown, the Captains McNeil and The Salvation Army Band, and Dr. Baruch Whitehead with us today
La Jerne Terry Cornish: happy to donate $100 to Rotary for the invitation to speak- Dale Flinn: thankful for Dr. Cornish’s wonderful talk, and grateful for all of the President talks during February and music before each meeting. He’ll be back to head the May meetings!
UPCOMING SPEAKERS
03/06 Mike Brown, Rotarian, “Pilots: Looking Down on People Since 1903”
03/13 Larry Baum, Rotarian, “General Aviation and the EHFC”
03/20 South Sudanese Partners; Gertrude Noden, coordinator, “Youth
Empowerment Tailoring Project”
03/27 Matthew Bull, Baden-Powell Council BSA Executive; Stacy Hall,
Taughannock District Executive, “The Boy Scouts of America: Not Just
Boys, But Still Scouting after 114 Years”
THANK YOU ROTARIANS
Newsletter Reporter: Tiffany Bloss
Program Chair: Beverly Baker (February)
Photographer: Mike Brown
Greeter: Captain Stacy McNeil
Newsletter Editor: Loralyn Light
Setup/Teardown: Sarah Segal, Steve Johnson
Cashier/Kettle Watcher: Gary Reinbolt
Audio/Visual Setup: Bez Thomas, Mike Brown
Recording Archive: Paul Martin; click
hereClub Service Facilitator: June Losurdo
