Briefs: Tompkins Cortland’s new president, Dalai Lama Library, more

Amy Kremenek appointed new president of Tompkins Cortland

The State University of New York Board of Trustees yesterday approved the appointment of Amy Kremenek, D.M., as the fifth president of Tompkins Cortland Community College. She begins June 1, 2022.

For the last seven years, Kremenek has served as vice president of enrollment, development and communications at Onondaga Community College in Syracuse. The previous four years, she was vice president of human resources and external relations at Onondaga, part of her nearly 20 years of experience in higher education.

“I am excited and honored to join the outstanding faculty and staff of Tompkins Cortland Community College and to serve as its next president,” Kremenek said. “The college has a rich history of excellence and entrepreneurship, and its mission is tremendously important to the region. I look forward to working with the campus and the community to build on this tradition and to advance the mission in support of student success.”

The Tompkins Cortland Community College Board of Trustees selected Kremenek following a national search that brought four finalists to campus for visits in February. Kremenek replaces Orinthia Montague, who served as president for just over four years before leaving for another presidency in Tennessee in August of 2021. Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs Paul Reifenheiser has served the college as administrator in charge since August. He will remain at the college as provost and vice president.

Learn more at tompkinscortland.edu.

Dalai Lama Library and Learning Center project breaks ground

A groundbreaking event held April 29 marked the start of work on the Dalai Lama Library and Learning Center at the site of the Namgyal Monastery on Tibet Drive in Ithaca

The groundbreaking was followed by a Tibetan cultural program, highlighting part of the mission of the center to preserve and provide educational resources about Tibetan Buddhism.

When completed, the center will be the only place in the world where people will be able to find the written works of the 14th Dalai Lama, as well as all previous Dalai Lamas. In addition, the library will contain an audio archive of 40,000 hours of the Dalai Lama’s teachings, approximately 4,000 books containing translations of ancient texts that document the evolution of Tibetan Buddhist thought and artifacts of religious significance from periods throughout the history of Buddhism in India and Tibet.

“The library must be a learning center where people from all over the world from all religions or nonreligious backgrounds can come to study, discuss and develop,” said Ven. Tenzin Choesang at the groundbreaking. “This is the primary mission of the library and learning center.”

The library and learning center’s resources will provide unequalled research opportunities for scholars across many disciplines, particularly for those studying Tibetan Buddhism, and the history of religion and comparative religions. It also will expand the Ithaca monastery’s ability to offer lectures from visiting scholars, will offer reading, study and research spaces, and serve as the only location in the world where such resources will be publicly available.

Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies in Ithaca was established in 1992 as the North American seat of the personal monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. There are only four other branch monasteries in the world, which are all located in India.

For more information about Namgyal Monastery in Ithaca, visit namgyal.org.

In this photo: Ven. Tenzin Choesang speaks at the groundbreaking as other monks look on.

 

IAED President Heather McDaniel appointed chair of Air Service Board

On April 18, Ithaca Area Economic Development (IAED) President Heather McDaniel was appointed to lead the Tompkins County Air Service Board (ASB), an advisory group to the Ithaca Tompkins International Airport (ITH). She will serve as ASB’s sixth elected chair, behind Larry Baum, whose term expired.

“I am honored to step into this role at this critical juncture for ITH as we help to navigate the post-pandemic environment,” shared McDaniel. “I look forward to working with the board and airport administration to strengthen and expand service that meets the needs of our community.”

The ASB is the successor to the Air Service Task Force, which was founded in 1997 by IAED, the Tompkins County Chamber of Commerce and Tompkins County Airport (as it was then known). It is now a formal advisory committee of the Tompkins County Legislature and supports key functions of the airport including marketing, forecasting and air carrier relationships. The mission of the ASB is to ensure reliable and affordable air service for residents and employers of the county and region.

Of McDaniel assuming her new role with ASB, ITH Airport Director Roxan Noble stated, “We are thrilled for Heather to chair the ASB. Her incredible leadership skills coupled with her passion for our community have made her an invaluable asset to the group.”

Noble added, “We would also like to thank Larry Baum for his many years of service to the ASB and his continued support of providing exceptional service to our traveling public.”

The terminal was renovated in 2019 and features four passenger boarding bridges, two ground gates, a Military Room, a pet relief area, a playground, and “The Legacy,” a locally owned restaurant with unique southern-inspired menu offerings.

ITH is a key economic driver serving Cornell University, Ithaca College and the larger Tompkins County community offering direct flights on three major airlines to hubs that provide connections to over 750 global destinations. Learn more at flyithaca.com.

 

Registration closes soon for Women Build Weekend

There’s still time to join Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties for Women Build Weekend!

Register today (givegab.com/campaigns/women-build-weekend-2022) to join Habitat on Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15 (all shifts are full on Friday, May 13) for a women-powered, women-driven and omen-focused weekend of construction, empowerment and camaraderie!

Women Build Weekend focuses on hands-on construction opportunities exclusively for women. While learning carpentry and construction techniques, participants build their own skills sets and simultaneously help Habitat achieve its mission: helping local families build strength, stability and self-reliance through shelter.

Any woman interested in participating can register and volunteer to participate. No construction experience necessary; Habitat provides all tools and materials, and female construction supervisors teach and train every step of the way.

With a rock-solid crew of more than a dozen local women who volunteer as crew leaders, there’s no shortage of skill or motivation to support new volunteers. Women Build’s volunteer leaders come with decades of construction expertise, a passion for engaging other women in the trades, and a willingness to share their time and skills.

On top of it all, Habitat has set out to raise $30,000 through corporate sponsorships and peer-to-peer fundraising. Women Build Weekend funds the construction of Habitat homes at a time when construction costs are volatile and at all-time highs, and our community needs more units of affordable housing than ever before. Even if you can’t volunteer, you can still donate!

Habitat’s Women Build program provides a rare opportunity for women of all skill levels to learn construction techniques, get their hands on a variety of tools and do so in an environment that is both welcoming and supportive.

Women Build Weekend offers one-on-one power tool training, along with group opportunities to build sheds or components of Habitat homes and a safe environment for making mistakes, trying new things and meeting new people. To learn more about Habitat, visit tchabitat.com.

 

Downtown Ithaca Stakeholders elect seven to DIA Board of Directors

Seven individuals — five downtown property owners and two commercial tenants — were elected to the Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA) Board of Directors during the nonprofit organization’s Annual Meeting and Elections held April 28.

Downtown property owners reelected Nathan Lyman and elected Larry Hochberger, Jen Demarest, Dean Zervos and Greg Conrad.

Lyman is an attorney who represents the properties owned by Ithaca Renting. Hochberger is the associate publisher at the Ithaca Times and will represent 109 N. Cayuga St. building. Dermarest is one of the new owners of the 108 W. State St. building. Zervos owns Simeons American Bistro and will serve on behalf of the property management firm C.S.P. Management. Conard is the general manager of The Hotel Ithaca.

For the commercial tenant’s seat, business owners reelected Brett Bossard, executive director for Cinemapolis, and elected Ben Sandberg, director of the History Center in Tompkins County.

Board members serve a three-year term on the board, a group of individuals tasked to oversee the use of special assessment funds collected within the 22-block Business Improvement District of downtown Ithaca.

DIA Board of Directors meetings are held on the third Monday of each month. The board is currently conducting meetings via Zoom. For additional information, visit downtownithaca.com.

In this photo (left to right, top to bottom): Lyman, Zervos, Hochberger, Bossard, Demarest, Conard and Sandberg.

 

Tompkins County adopts Juneteenth as paid employee holiday

With a unanimous vote of 14-0, the Tompkins County Legislature voted to adopt Juneteenth as a paid employee holiday at its April 19 meeting.

Juneteenth is an annual celebration of Black liberation from slavery in America at the end of the Civil War and falls on June 19 but will be observed this year by the county as a holiday for employees on June 20.

Legislator Anne Koreman stated, “I’m very proud to be able to vote for this tonight.”

Koreman read from the resolution, “Juneteenth is a commemorative observance of the hardships and losses suffered by African Americans in their struggle to attain freedom from slavery, to recognize and pay tribute to the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice in this quest.”

Dawson stated that “I want to thank [Legislator] Henry Granison and the Workforce Diversity and Inclusion Committee for doing the work on this.”

Legislator Mike Lane stated that “In a lot of the industrialized world, employees get much more time off, personal time and vacation time. Holidays are important to have for our employees. It gives them a break from the toils of their jobs. … People need to have more time available for themselves and their families.”

Legislature Chairwoman Shawna Black stated, “It’s important that we recognize our history. It’s about time – we’re likely one of the last employers to allow for this as a holiday. I’m glad to see us take this step forward.”

In 2021, Tompkins County celebrated Juneteenth with a series of events, including a virtual event titled “Juneteenth and Black Lives Matter: An Africana Studies Perspective” that is viewable on the Tompkins County YouTube channel (youtube.com/watch?v=lQYdLckfmsU).