The Ithaca College Presidential Medal will be presented to Linda Petrosino ’77, M.S. ’78, retiring dean of the School of Health Sciences and Human Performance, on May 21 at the 2023 Commencement Ceremony. 

“The Presidential Medal was created as a way to honor a member or members of the Ithaca College family or valued partners of the institution whose lives embody the values of Ithaca College and demonstrate a strong sense of service and sustainability to the Ithaca College community and our world,” the announcement said.

Petrosino has been the dean of the School of HSHP since 2012 and has facilitated the development of programs, partnerships and strategic goals. She brought the full physical therapy program to campus; formed a program for a doctorate in occupational therapy and master’s programs in physician assistant studies and athletic training; created a remote, part-time speech-language pathology graduate program; and collaborated with the Binghamton University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, allowing Ithaca College students to transfer into Binghamton University’s Doctor of Pharmacy program.

Petrosino’s other accolades include being named president and a fellow of the Association of Schools of Allied Health Professions and the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. She also has held leadership positions on the Council of Academic Programs in Communication Sciences and Disorders, and the State of Ohio gave her the distinction of being an Exemplar of Women in Science, Engineering, and Mathematics.

Petrosino developed the School of HSHP’s strategic plan, which helped renovate facilities, review programs and connect academics with practical experience. She focused the school’s strategic goals on future sustainability and diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging.

From 2014–15 and again from 2016–18, Petrosino served as interim provost and vice president for educational affairs. In this role, she was a co-chair on the Institutional Effectiveness Budget Committee and helped finalize IC 20/20, the college’s strategic plan that ended in Spring 2017, when former President Tom Rochon stepped down.

Petrosino served on councils and committees including the Council on Diversity and Inclusion, the Shared Governance Task Force, the Longview/IC Planning Committee and more.