Ithaca College recognized 952 graduates in the Class of 2025 during the 130th undergraduate Commencement ceremony held May 18 in the Glazer Arena. The students concluded their undergraduate studies with a fist bump from President La Jerne Cornish and remarks from two of the college’s most famous alumni, Bob Iger ’73 and David Muir ’95.
Iger, the CEO of The Walt Disney Company, attended the ceremony to accept a Doctor of Letters, an honorary degree recognizing his contributions to his field. Muir made a surprise appearance to introduce Iger before he received his honorary degree.
Consistent with the 2023 and 2024 ceremonies, the college held a separate commencement and graduate hooding ceremony in the Glazer Arena to recognize students graduating with master’s or doctoral degrees.
John Neeson ’84, chair of the Board of Trustees, opened the undergraduate commencement ceremony by encouraging the graduating students to recognize their hard work and reflect on the impactful knowledge and skills they gained from their time at the college. Neeson said he and other members of the Class of 1984 have shown their gratitude for their IC education by donating to the Class of 1984 Endowed Scholarship.
Neeson announced that the Board of Trustees created a new Class of 2025 endowed scholarship for 2025 graduates.
“Your scholarship fund will be given to IC students that have financial need and will help them achieve their dreams, just as you have,” Neeson said. “It will ensure that they have experiences and build lifelong relationships just as you have.”
Cornish listed several graduating students’ plans for their next destinations, including future employers — like ABC News, Harvard University, KPMG, MLB Network, Teach for America and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center — and graduate programs at institutions including Cornell University, University of London, Syracuse University, Vanderbilt University and Washington State University.
Cornish said the Class of 2025 has come a long way since they started at IC during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic in Fall 2021, when symptom screenings and social distancing were a routine part of life at the college. This class was the first to return to fully in-person instruction after the start of the pandemic.
Cornish introduced the quote she selected for the graduation medallion, from author Brené Brown: “Faith is a place of mystery, where we find the courage to believe in what we cannot see and the strength to let go of our fear of uncertainty.”
Cornish said she hopes the graduating students will embrace uncertainty and use their education to make a difference.
“Whatever it is you are hoping for, have the courage to believe you will achieve it,” Cornish said. “Even if you cannot see it, even when it looks like the odds are stacked against you, believe in something greater than you. … Imagine for one moment that you have been equipped with everything you need to meet with success or to overcome failure as a direct result of your time here at IC.”
Cornish also noted that 28 faculty members earned tenure and/or promotion and eight faculty members joined the emeriti community during the 2024-25 academic year.
Neeson returned to the stage to introduce “breaking news.” Muir walked on stage to a series of gasps, which quickly turned into cheers and applause.
In his surprise introduction for Iger, Muir noted that Iger has a long list of accomplishments — including serving as Disney’s CEO twice and leading the company through several acquisitions and the evolving digital landscape — but he has remained true to himself through everything.
“The incredible thing about Bob Iger … is that he is every bit as proud of his time here as he is of all of the things he has achieved since leaving Ithaca,” Muir said. “Like all of you graduating here in this room today, Bob, too, was shaped by the beauty of this wonderful college on a hill and by the basic sense of human decency that we all celebrate here at Ithaca College. He never forgot who he was, which has made him one of the most accessible, most honest, most impressive CEOs of our time.”
Cornish and Melanie Stein, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs, then presented Iger with his degree.
“Coming back to Ithaca College, I must say, it feels like I never left in so many ways,” Iger said. “I guess this bit of my heart and my soul remains here and always will.”
Iger encouraged the graduating students to carry IC with them wherever they go and be open to new possibilities.
“Have dreams, and if they don’t come true, create new ones,” Iger said. “Remain hopeful and always optimistic. Those traits will fuel you, I promise, and they will create opportunities.”
Monica Digilio B.S. ’85, M.S. ’86 delivered the keynote address. Digilio was a first-generation college student who graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Cinema and Photography and a master’s degree in Communications. Digilio is the CEO of Compass Advisors LLC and has previously led human resources for hospitality and entertainment brands like Caesars Entertainment, Kerzner International and Montage International.
Digilio said she learned that surrounding herself with good people is essential to succeed in human resources and any career path. Digilio encouraged the graduating students to recognize people in their lives who will see their potential and push them to be their best.
“When you build a network of people who understand you and you nurture those relationships, those people will nurture you too,” Digilio said. “If you want to be surrounded by good people, be a good person. … As I look back on the people I’m most grateful for in my career, I don’t think of the people with the biggest titles. I remember those who have been loyal, generous and human.”
The Class of 2025 selected graduating senior Jasmine Williams, an acting major, to deliver the student address. Williams served as the president of Black Artists United, a member of the Amani Gospel Singers, the student manager for the BOLD Women’s Leadership Network and served on the 2025 Women Leaders Series Planning Team.
Williams said she is grateful for the community that the Class of 2025 has created at IC, which has helped her explore her artistry, leadership and heart. She encouraged her fellow graduates to lean on each other for support, encouragement and reminders about their “why.”
“Every single person in this room has intrinsic value and if you did not know that before now, I am honored to break the news,” Williams said. “We matter to the spaces we inhabit simply because we are who we are. You matter to every single space that you will take up once you move on from here, because you are simply you and there is no accomplishment or accolade that you could acquire that would change how important you are today. You are a party all by yourself.”
Williams said she hopes her fellow graduates will believe in their worth and value and share the excellence shaped during their time at the college with everyone they meet.
“The world needs your art,” Williams said. “It needs your mind. It needs your passion and your opinions. … What an honor it is to experience this life and this moment at the same time as all of you guys.”
