The Ithacan

As Glazer Arena filled with blue and white confetti, Ithaca College’s newest alumni celebrated together one last time at the 131st undergraduate Commencement ceremony May 17. IC’s Class of 2026 walked the stage to celebrate their accomplishments with support from administrators and faculty, including President La Jerne Cornish who offered students her signature congratulatory fist bump.

After finding enormous success as a miniseries, Netflix’s “Beef” returned for a second season April 16, with a different premise and brand-new characters. Creator Lee Sung Jin has again crafted a wildly entertaining narrative with excellent performances, even if it falls short of the first season’s highs.

Ithaca College administrators discussed the college’s ongoing work to achieve a balanced budget by fiscal year 2028 at the May 19 State of the College meeting. Administrators gave updates on college finances and enrollment going into the 2026-27 academic year.

Tim Downs, senior vice president for finance and administration and chief financial officer, hosted his final Dollars and Sense meeting May 21. In a campus-wide email sent April 28, it was announced Downs will depart from Ithaca College to be the chief financial officer at the Institute for Advanced Study beginning June 15.

Patrice Pastore, professor in the Department of Music Performance, believes she had an unconventional path to teaching voice at Ithaca College, but she is grateful that IC has become her home over the last 43 years.

Rebecca Lesses, associate professor in the Department of Philosophy and Religion at Ithaca College, loves learning from other generations.

Arhlene Flowers, professor in the Department of Strategic Communication, traveled to more than 40 countries and almost 30 states while working in marketing and public relations. After two decades of working for global agencies and corporations, Flowers felt something was missing — and made the transition from conference rooms to Ithaca College classrooms in 2006.

Pablo Cohen, professor in the Ithaca College Department of Music Performance, has performed across the globe at iconic venues like Carnegie Hall, earned permanent residency in the United States based on extraordinary talent and recorded multiple compositions and solo albums. However, Cohen said he is most proud of his job at IC.

Shannon Scott, associate professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy at Ithaca College, said she loves learning so much that she would pursue a career as a full-time student if she could get paid for it.

Lynne Hewitt returned to her undergraduate college town in January 2020 to become professor and chair of the Department of Speech Language Pathology and Audiology at Ithaca College. Since graduating from Cornell University, Hewitt has completed graduate degrees and taught in Pennsylvania, Ohio and New Zealand, before returning to Ithaca to close out her career.