Wikipedia

Shirley Collado

Shirley M. Collado is an American higher education executive and academic administrator.[2] She has been president and chief executive of College Track, an American college completion program, since 2022.[3][1] Collado served as the ninth president of Ithaca College from 2017 to 2021, and was the second woman to hold the post and the first person of color. She is the first Dominican American to be named president of a four-year college in the United States.[4]

Shirley M. Collado
9th President of Ithaca College
In office
July 1, 2017 – August 29, 2021[1]
Succeeded byLa Jerne Terry Cornish
Personal details
CitizenshipUnited States of America
SpouseA. Van Jordan
EducationVanderbilt University (BS)
Duke University (MA, PhD)
OccupationChief executive, College Track

Early life and education

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Collado grew up in Brooklyn, the child of Dominican immigrants; her father drove a taxi and her mother worked in a factory.[5][6] Collado became the first in her family to attend college when she enrolled at Vanderbilt University in 1990, participating in a program called The Posse Foundation, which identifies, recruits and trains students with academic and leadership potential, and places them in cohorts at institutions that award full-tuition scholarships.[7][8][9] Collado was one of five students who enrolled at Vanderbilt as the first Posse cohort, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology and Human and Organizational Development in 1994.[10] She went on to earn an M.A. and Ph.D. in 1999 from the Department of Psychology and Neuroscience at Duke University. Her dissertation was titled "The Perceived Racism Scale for Latina/os: a Multidimensional Assessment of the Experience of Racism among Latina/os."[11][7]

Career

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After completing her doctorate in clinical psychology, Collado worked in community mental health, then returned to The Posse Foundation where she spent six years as executive vice president.[12] She was appointed as vice president for Institutional Planning and Diversity at Middlebury College in Vermont in 2007.[13]

In 2009, she was named vice-president for institutional planning and community engagement at Lafayette College.[14][15]

In 2010, she returned to Middlebury College to become an associate professor of psychology, dean of the college and vice president of student affairs at Middlebury College.[16][17][18]

From 2014 to 2024, Collado served as a trustee on Vanderbilt University’s Board of Trust.[19] She was appointed trustee emerita in 2024.[20]

In January 2015, Collado was appointed executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer at Rutgers University-Newark, where she led the development of the university's Honors Living-Learning Community.[21][22]

On July 1, 2017, Collado became president of Ithaca College,[23] replacing outgoing Tom Rochon to become the ninth president in the college's then-125-year history and the first person of color to hold the role.[6] As president, Collado led the creation and implementation of the College’s strategic plan, Ithaca Forever.[24] The plan provided a framework for the College’s sustainability and to become a model for student success, engagement and well-being, helping students to develop their unique potential.[24][25]

Collado announced in July 2021 that she would step down as president of Ithaca College to become president and chief executive of College Track, a program supporting college completion.[3][1] Collado was appointed president emerita by Ithaca College at the completion of her term.[26]

In January 2022, Collado assumed the role of president and chief executive of College Track.[27][28]

Collado is a member of the boards of IntermediaryEd, Kids First Chicago, National Association for College Admission Counseling, and StarRez. She also served on the board of Excelencia in Education and is a founding member of President's Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration.[29]

In October 2022, Collado was appointed to serve as a Senior Fellow at Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching.[30]

Personal life

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Collado is married to poet and Stanford University professor, A. Van Jordan.[31]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 Whitford, Emma (9 July 2021). "Ithaca College President Resigns". Inside Higher Ed. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 9 July 2021. Shirley M. Collado will join College Track as president and CEO after she leaves Ithaca College in January.
  2. ↑ "Shirley M. Collado, Ph.D." College Track. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  3. 1 2 Butler, Matt (2021-07-08). "Ithaca College president Shirley Collado resigns". The Ithaca Voice. Retrieved 2021-07-08.
  4. ↑ "Ithaca College Enters New Era: Shirley M. Collado Inaugurated as College's Ninth President - IC News - Ithaca College". www.ithaca.edu. Retrieved 2017-11-06.
  5. ↑ Guinier, Lani (2016). The Tyranny of the Meritocracy: Democratizing Higher Education in America. Beacon Press. pp. 67–69. ISBN 9780807078129. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  6. 1 2 Corasaniti, Nick (7 June 2017). "At Ithaca College, a President Focused on Diversity". The New York Times. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  7. 1 2 Oguntoyinbo, Lekan (23 April 2014). "Momentum Continues to Build for Posse Foundation's STEM Program". Diverse. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  8. ↑ Jaschik, Scott (February 23, 2017). "From Posse Participant to College President". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  9. ↑ "Vanderbilt Posse Scholar Program". www.vanderbilt.edu. Retrieved 2019-11-01.
  10. ↑ Robertson, Seth (July 31, 2015). "First In: First-Generation College Graduates Share Their Stories". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  11. ↑ "P&N Alumna Shirley Collado Named President of Ithaca College | Duke Psychology & Neuroscience". psychandneuro.duke.edu. March 7, 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  12. ↑ Guinier, Lani (2016). The Tyranny of the Meritocracy: Democratizing Higher Education in America. Beacon Press. pp. 73–75. ISBN 9780807078129. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
  13. ↑ Levina, Alina (February 27, 2007). "Ramirez challenges students to speak the unspoken". middleburycampus.com. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  14. ↑ Anonymous (September 15, 2009). "Vice President for Equity and Community Benchmarking Report" (PDF). Lehigh.edu. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  15. ↑ Anonymous (Winter 2009). "McDonogh Report" (PDF). McDonogh.Lafayette.edu. Retrieved February 10, 2023.
  16. ↑ Schonfeld, Zach (10 March 2014). "Inside the Colleges That Killed Frats for Good". Newsweek. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  17. ↑ "College Diversity Issues Continue After Admissions". Tell Me More. NPR. March 7, 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  18. ↑ Grasgreen, Allie (February 25, 2014). "Economics department to proctor exams as adherence to honor code wanes". Inside Higher Ed. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  19. ↑ "Vanderbilt Board of Trust elects three new members". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
  20. ↑ "Board of Trust". Vanderbilt University. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
  21. ↑ Weinstein, Matt (February 22, 2017). "Ithaca College's new president to tackle heated issues". Ithaca Journal. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  22. ↑ Burd, Joshua (May 26, 2016). "Rutgers-Newark, RBH planning $70M residence hall, honors learning facility | NJBIZ". NJBIZ. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  23. ↑ "Ithaca College Gets 9th President This Summer". USNews. February 27, 2017. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
  24. 1 2 "Launching Ithaca Forever | Ithaca College". www.ithaca.edu. 2019-10-24. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
  25. ↑ "Collado Rallies Campus Around 'Ithaca Forever' | Ithaca College". www.ithaca.edu. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
  26. ↑ "Shirley M. Collado | Ithaca College". www.ithaca.edu. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
  27. ↑ "New College Track President Shirley M. Collado Sees Herself in Her Students". www.emersoncollective.com. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
  28. ↑ webmaster; Holtzman, Caitlin (2021-08-26). "Campus community reacts to Collado's departure". The Ithacan. Retrieved 2026-04-08.
  29. ↑ "College Track President and CEO Shirley M. Collado Joins Board of ACT". College Track. 27 September 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  30. ↑ "Dr. Shirley M. Collado Named Carnegie Foundation Senior Fellow". College Track. 12 October 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
  31. ↑ Shoemaker, Stephen (February 23, 2017). "Incoming President Shirley M. Collado Meets the Ithaca College Community". IC News. Retrieved 1 August 2017.
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