Notable Alumni of Ithaca College: Shaping Entertainment, Media, Business, and Beyond
Ithaca College, a private institution in Ithaca, New York, has a rich history dating back to its founding in 1892 as a conservatory of music. Over the decades, it has expanded its curriculum to encompass a wide range of disciplines, particularly in media, communications, and the performing arts. With over 15,000 students having graduated since communications programs began in 1930, Ithaca College alumni can be found across the globe, making significant contributions to their respective fields. This article highlights some of the college's most notable alumni, showcasing their achievements and the impact they have had on the world.
Prominent Figures in Entertainment
Ithaca College boasts a remarkable array of alumni who have achieved prominence in the entertainment industry, both in front of and behind the camera.
Bob Iger: Leading the Walt Disney Company
Robert Alan Iger is an American media executive who is chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company. A graduate of Ithaca College, Iger's career trajectory is a testament to his leadership and vision. He previously was the president of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) between 1994 and 1995 and president and chief operating officer (COO) of Capital Cities/ABC, from 1995 until its acquisition by Disney in 1996. Iger was named president of Disney in 2000 and succeeded Michael Eisner as CEO in 2005, until his contract expired in 2020. He then was executive chairman until his formal retirement from the company on December 31, 2021. After his exit from the company, Iger continued as an advisor to his successor. His strategic decisions and innovative approach have solidified Disney's position as a global entertainment leader.
David Boreanaz: From Vampire to Navy SEAL
David Paul Boreanaz is an American actor, television producer, and director known for playing the roles of vampire-turned-private investigator Angel on The WB/UPN Buffy the Vampire Slayer (1997-2003) and its spinoff Angel (1999-2004); FBI Special Agent Seeley Booth, a homicide investigator, on the Fox television crime procedural comedy-drama series Bones (2005-2017); and United States Navy SEAL Master Chief Petty Officer Jason Hayes in CBS/Paramount+ military drama series SEAL Team (2017-2024). Boreanaz's versatility and dedication have made him a beloved figure in television.
Bob Odenkirk: From Comedy Writer to Acclaimed Actor
Robert John Odenkirk is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for his role as Saul Goodman/Jimmy McGill on Breaking Bad (2008-2013) and its spin-off Better Call Saul (2015-2022). For the latter, he received six nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, which ties the record for most nominations in the category without a win. For the role, he also received five nominations for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor, five nominations for the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series, and six nominations for the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Drama Series, winning the award three times, along with three nominations for the Television Critics Association Award for Individual Achievement in Drama. As a producer on Better Call Saul since its premiere, he has also received seven nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series.
Read also: Mastering Canvas at IC
Ricki Lake: Talk Show Host and Actress
Ricki Pamela Lake is an American television host and actress. She is known for her lead role as Tracy Turnblad in the 1988 film Hairspray, for which she received a nomination for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead. She is also known for her talk show, Ricki Lake, which was broadcast internationally from September 1993 until May 2004. When the show debuted, Lake was 24 and credited as being the youngest person to host a syndicated talk show at the time. In late 2012, Lake began hosting a second syndicated talk show, The Ricki Lake Show. The series was canceled in 2013 after a single season, but Lake won her first Daytime Emmy Award for the project.
Aaron Tveit: Broadway Star
Aaron Kyle Tveit is an American actor and tenor singer. Tveit originated the lead role of Christian in the stage adaptation of Moulin Rouge! on Broadway, a performance for which he won the 2020 Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical and received a 2020 Grammy Award nomination. His other work on the Broadway stage includes originating the roles of Gabe in Next to Normal and Frank Abagnale Jr. in Catch Me If You Can. He also played the title role in Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street and John Wilkes Booth in an Off West End production of Assassins.
Ben Feldman: Versatile Actor
Benjamin Feldman is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has undertaken roles on stage, including the Broadway play The Graduate, along with more prominent roles in television series such as his role as Jonah Simms in the NBC sitcom Superstore (2015-2021), Michael Ginsberg in Mad Men (2012-2014) which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination, and Ron LaFlamme in Silicon Valley (2014-2019). He has also played lead characters in films including The Perfect Man (2005).
CCH Pounder: Character Actress Extraordinaire
Carol Christine Hilaria Pounder is an American actress. She portrayed Mo'at in the Avatar franchise, Amanda Waller in various DC media, and Claudette Wyms in the FX police drama series The Shield (2002-2008). She has received four Primetime Emmy Award nominations for her roles in The X-Files, ER, The Shield, and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
Gavin MacLeod: From News Writer to Ship Captain
Gavin MacLeod was an American actor best known for his roles as news writer Murray Slaughter on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and ship's captain Merrill Stubing on ABC's The Love Boat. After growing up Catholic, MacLeod became an evangelical Christian in 1984. His career, which spanned six decades, included work as a Christian television host, author, and guest on several talk, variety, and religious programs. MacLeod graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ithaca College.
Read also: Location of Ithaca College
Jeremy Jordan: Broadway and Television Actor
Jeremy Michael Jordan is an American actor and singer. He has performed on Broadway, in television and film, in concert, as well as in other theatrical productions. In 2007, Jordan graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts in musical theater from Ithaca College.
Amanda Setton: Actress
Amanda Setton is an American actress. She is known for her recurring role as Penelope Shafai on The CW's teen drama Gossip Girl (2008-2012), for her role as Kimberly Andrews on the ABC soap opera One Life to Live (2009-2011) and as Brook Lynn Quartermaine on the ABC soap opera General Hospital. She made her Off-Broadway debut in the comedy play Love, Loss, and What I Wore in late 2011 and was on the first half of season one of the Fox comedy The Mindy Project.
Kerry Butler: Stage Actress and Singer
Kerry Butler is an American actress and singer known primarily for her work in theater. She is best known for originating the roles of Barbara Maitland in Beetlejuice, Penny Pingleton in Hairspray, and Clio/Kira in Xanadu, the latter of which earned her a Tony Award nomination for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Musical. Butler graduated with Bachelor of Fine Arts from Ithaca College.
Ilene Graff: Actress and Singer
Ilene Graff is an American actress and singer.
Influential Figures in Media and Journalism
Ithaca College's Roy H. Park School of Communications has produced numerous accomplished journalists, broadcasters, and media professionals who have shaped the landscape of news and information.
Read also: Navigating Ithaca College
David Muir: Anchor of ABC World News Tonight
David Jason Muir is an American journalist and anchor for ABC World News Tonight and co-anchor of the ABC News magazine 20/20, part of the news department of the ABC broadcast-television network, based in New York City. Muir previously served as the weekend anchor and primary substitute anchor on ABC's World News Tonight with Diane Sawyer before succeeding her.
Alan Colmes: Political Commentator
Alan Samuel Colmes was an American radio and television host, liberal political commentator for the Fox News Channel, and blogger.
Karl Ravech: ESPN Commentator
Karl Ravech is an American journalist who works as the primary play by play commentator for Sunday Night Baseball on ESPN.
Leaders in Business and Entrepreneurship
Ithaca College alumni have also made significant strides in the world of business, demonstrating entrepreneurial spirit and leadership across various industries.
J. Christopher Burch: Entrepreneur and Investor
J. Christopher Burch is an American businessman and the founder and CEO of Burch Creative Capital, a firm based in New York City that manages venture investments and brand development, and co-founder of Tory Burch LLC. He is entrepreneur and active investor across fashion, hospitality, and technology industries. Since establishing his initial venture, Eagle Eye, he has been involved brands including Staud, BaubleBar, NIHI Sumba, Guggenheim Partners, Tory Burch, Voss, Win Brands, Rappi, Danielle Guizio, Solid & Striped, Urbanic, Thursday Boots, SuperOrdinary, Barber Surgeon Guild, Faena Hotel + Universe, Jawbone, and Poppin.
Notable Figures in Music
Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre, and Dance has produced numerous accomplished musicians,
Rick Beato: Musician, YouTuber, and Educator
Richard John Beato is an American YouTube personality, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and educator. Since the early 1980s, he has worked variously as a musician, songwriter, audio engineer, and record producer; he has also lectured on music at universities.
Gavin DeGraw: Singer-Songwriter
Gavin Shane DeGraw is an American singer-songwriter. DeGraw rose to fame with his song "I Don't Want to Be" from his debut album Chariot (2003); the song became the main theme song for The WB/CW drama series One Tree Hill. Other notable singles from his debut album were the title track and "Follow Through".
Ruth Underwood: Percussionist
Ruth Underwood is an American musician best known for playing xylophone, marimba, vibraphone, and other percussion instruments in Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. She collaborated with the Mothers of Invention from 1968 to 1977.
Maureen Tucker: Musician
Maureen Ann "Moe" Tucker is an American musician, singer, and songwriter who achieved international fame as the drummer of the rock band the Velvet Underground. Tucker occasionally sang lead vocals with the group, including the songs "After Hours" and "I'm Sticking With You".
Other Fields
Giorgio A. Tsoukalos: Ufologist
Giorgio A. Tsoukalos is a Swiss-born writer, and television presenter and producer. He is a ufologist and a promoter of the ancient astronauts hypothesis. He is best known for his appearances on Ancient Aliens, a History Channel series of which he is also producer.
Tim Locastro: Baseball Player
Timothy Donald Locastro is an American professional baseball outfielder who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, and New York Mets.
Gorilla Monsoon: Professional Wrestler
Robert James "Gino" Marella, better known by his ring name of Gorilla Monsoon, was an American professional wrestler, play-by-play commentator, and booker.
Ithaca College: A Hub for Creativity and Innovation
Ithaca College's commitment to providing a comprehensive education in the arts, communications, and sciences has fostered a vibrant community of talented individuals who have gone on to make significant contributions to their respective fields. The college's emphasis on hands-on learning, state-of-the-art facilities, and a supportive alumni network has empowered graduates to pursue their passions and achieve their dreams.
Ithaca College provides media-related programs and entertainment programs within the Roy H. Park School of Communications and the Ithaca College School of Music, Theatre, and Dance. Ithaca College Television (ICTV), founded in 1958, describes itself as one of the oldest student-operated college television channels. The channel is available to 26,000 cable households. It has received awards for its programming, including recognition from the New York State Associated Press Broadcasters Association and the Society of Professional Journalists. The show also received ICTV's first College Emmy Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. ICTV is housed and operated in the Roy H. Park School of Communications. Approximately 15 to 20 production teams operate simultaneously, utilizing around 400 volunteers each semester. WICB is a student-operated, 4,100 watt FM station that serves Tompkins County and beyond, reaching from northern Pennsylvania to Lake Ontario, with a potential audience of over 250,000. The majority of programming on WICB - which broadcasts from 91.7 on the FM band - is modern rock, but the station also airs a number of specialty shows, which includes a number of genres (including blues, Broadway, jam band music and "homeless" music) that is not normally heard on public airwaves. VIC Radio is Ithaca College's second student-run radio station. Previously available on 105.9 FM, VIC Radio is now an online-only radio station. Buzzsaw Magazine, formerly Buzzsaw Haircut, was founded in 1999 and is an independent monthly alternative magazine written, produced and distributed by Ithaca College students. It is a progressive publication with a goal to "publish original creative journalism, commentary and satire that works to deconstruct society, pop culture, politics, college life and dominant Western beliefs." The faculty adviser is media critic Jeff Cohen, who is also the founder of the college's Park Center for Independent Media.
tags: #ithaca #college #notable #alumni
