ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College Department of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports hosted its fourth-annual "Voices of Experience" Night as a capstone of its fall semester programming for the Department's innovative Leadership Academy on Wednesday evening. The event gathered Leadership Academy participants from the sophomore, junior and senior classes inside Emerson Suites for a detailed panel discussion and question/answer session of various leadership topics and experiences that student-athletes have encountered during their time at IC.
 
The event program began with some opening remarks from Director of Intercollegiate Athletics and Recreational Sports, Susan Bassett '79, in which she welcomed newly-inaugurated Ithaca College President Shirley M. Collado. Dr. Greg Shelley, Associate Professor in the Department of Exercise and Sport Sciences, proctored a discussion panel, which included President Collado, as well as five senior student-athletes in Keith Morrissey (Men's Lacrosse), Amber Edwards (Women's Track & Field), Joelle Goldstein (Women's Volleyball), Kenny Bradley (Football), and Payton Cutting (Softball). Shelley and Bassett have worked extensively in creating and developing the programming for Leadership Academy, which was founded during the 2014-15 academic year.
 
"Our Voices of Experience event is a capstone to our work throughout the semester," Bassett explained. "The powerful messages from our senior leaders to their teammates and peers brings the Academy curriculum to life in meaningful ways for employing what we have learned together. I am also so appreciative of President Collado for joining us and giving her perspectives on authentic leadership."
 
The conversation and comments by panel members touched on a number of leadership topics, including: defining leadership and providing examples, personal development of leadership characteristics during their collegiate careers, evaluating the differences between vocal leadership and leadership by example, holding peers accountable, and developing team unity. A question and answer session with the audience followed Dr. Shelley's guided conversation in which several members of the audiences asked directed questions to the panelists.
 
"I'd like to extend a big 'thank you' to Susan Bassett for her ongoing leadership and for continuing to promote great events like the "Voices of Experience" on Wednesday night," Dr. Shelley said. "It was special to have President Collado be a part of our Leadership Academy and to share the stage with our senior student-athlete panelists. It is incredibly rewarding to watch the leadership growth of so many of our student-athletes as they progress through the programming. It was great to see the senior captains engage in in-depth conversation with President Collado and the audience on purposeful leadership on our campus. Thank you to our senior panelists and President Collado for your words and time!"
 
The event attracted nearly 300 student-athletes who are involved in the Academy, as well as several Ithaca College head coaches and assistant coaches.

The Leadership Academy, led by Dr. Greg Shelley, instills traits and philosophies that will be applicable in athletes' sport participation at Ithaca College, as well as their professional and personal endeavors for the rest of their lives. The program was first introduced during the spring of 2014 and has been a fully implemented program for IC student-athletes dating back to the 2014-15 academic year. Approximately 300 student-athletes representing all 27 varsity sports are participating in the program, which builds upon its curriculum across each year of the Academy.