Ithaca College held its first TEDx event, an independently organized version of the global Technology, Entertainment and Design Talks conferences, March 22. This event increases the international visibility of the college community and connects the college to the Ithaca community by inviting local residents to participate as speakers.

Locally, this TEDx event gave Ithaca residents a chance to present at the college. By bringing college students and local residents into a collaborative and creative environment, the TEDx license presents another opportunity to connect with the City of Ithaca and Cornell University.

The online TEDx community presents an international network for academics to share ideas. The 16 TEDx Ithaca College speakers will become part of this community alongside other online TEDx lecturers, allowing Ithaca and the college a chance to enter this global network.

The college should use its TEDx license to hold as many future events as possible. It should also use the March 22 event as impetus to bring more local thinkers to campus, who can promote stronger ties between college and community by knowledge sharing and working with students and faculty.