Construction for an on-campus residence for the president of Ithaca College has been put on hold to prioritize other construction projects.
The Ithaca College Board of Trustees approved delaying further action involving the project to prioritize student-centered and mission-critical construction projects, said Tim Carey, associate vice president for the Office of Facilities, via email Aug. 30.
“That project had reached the design phase, but will not be further advanced for the time being,” Carey said.
The board of trustees announced October 2017 that 2 Fountain Place, the former presidential residence, was going to be put on the market. The residence was purchased March 12 by an alum. The board of trustees announced April 2018 that a new presidential residence would be built on campus, near Emerson Hall and Z Lot. Doug Weisman ’78, chairman of the board’s Buildings and Grounds Committee, told The Ithacan that the board decided to build an on-campus residence for the college’s president so they could be closer to the campus community.
The decision to put a hold on construction also comes after budget cuts for the 2019–20 academic year. President Shirley M. Collado announced via email to faculty and staff May 8 that the college failed to meet its projected enrollment of incoming freshman for the 2019–20 academic year. Collado also said in the email announcement that overall enrollment may be lower, but the college’s finances are still strong.
