Ithaca College
PAE-2: Strategic Plan

The Institutional Plan was adopted in 2001, and was intrinsically focused on promoting sustainability on campus. In 2006, the Institutional Plan and Sustainability was developed to further reinforce Ithaca's commitment to sustainability. In this amendment, it was reiterated that, "Facilities: Maintain and enhance the College’s academic, residential, recreational, athletic, and administrative facilities and grounds. Sustainable design has become an increasingly important factor in campus planning at Ithaca College. The new business building, designed to achieve platinum-level LEED certification, is the first step. A similar commitment has been made to “green” the design of the future Athletic and Event Center. Plans to engage in permaculture landscaping south of the Center for Natural Sciences as a collaborative student-faculty project provide the College another significant opportunity to demonstrate its commitment to sustainability. The College also has a Natural Lands Committee that evaluates the use of undeveloped lands that are in their natural state throughout the campus".

Within the 2006 amendment, it was stated that: The study of sustainability is interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary. Over 100 courses at Ithaca College, many of them newly developed, have been identified as meeting the UNESCO criteria for education for sustainable development. The College’s course offerings have also been expanded through interdisciplinary degrees in Environmental Science and Environmental Studies. The College has also offered First Year Seminars on sustainability. The establishment of the Division of Interdisciplinary and International Studies demonstrates the College’s commitment to scholarship that crosses many disciplines and to examining new approaches to the study of interdisciplinary topics such as sustainability. • Diversity: Enhance the diversity of students, faculty, and staff and create a supportive environment and programs for the entire College community. Sustainability insists that building community in ways that embrace diversity and foster mutual respect is the key to continued growth and development. The B.A. in Culture and Communication, from this perspective, reflects the philosophy of sustainability. The establishment of the Center for the Study of Culture, Race, and Ethnicity, and the Center for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Education, Outreach and Services (LGBT) supports greater understanding of diverse populations and reflects the goals of a sustainable society. Opportunities exist to develop courses that explore the links between sustainability and diversity. The establishment of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholars Program continues to bring a diverse group of talented, engaged, and intelligent students to the College. The study-abroad opportunities offered through the Office of International Programs promote global perspectives and openness to ideas such as sustainability in a manner that helps to attract diverse student, faculty, and staff to the College.

From the same document: The College’s effort to limit growth to cost effective academic programs, while investing in its “quality endowment,” is an outstanding example of sustainability thinking. Another good example is the effort to improve retention. The First Year Experience Coordinating Committee is examining numerous programs and policies designed to increase the retention of first year students. Recent efforts to create more strategic approaches to admissions communication have resulted in the largest number of applicants in the college’s history for the 2006-2007 academic year, and reflects one of the most diverse group of applicants in recent years. These approaches will continue to allow IC to develop and strengthen its competitive edge in preparation for the projected demographic downturn later this decade. New marketing programs could also capitalize on the growing interest in sustainability among high school students. In addition, we also stated in the Institutional Plan and Sustainability, that "Resource Development: Enable the College to become less tuition-dependent and reliant on debt by increasing financial resources from public, private, and entrepreneurial sources. Sustainability generates unique opportunities to cultivate new donors and propose new grant programs. Recent gifts and grants to the College for the design and construction of the new Business School building makes this clear. Sustainability can also open up new entrepreneurial revenue streams, and new mechanisms for reducing operating costs, all enhancing the overall position of the institution."