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The Lycoming College Class of 2025 will be addressed by Shirley M. Collado, Ph.D., president and chief executive officer of College Track, at the College’s 177th Commencement ceremony on Saturday, May 10, at 2 p.m., on the Fultz Quadrangle. She will be awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws degree during the ceremony.
College Track is a college completion program dedicated to democratizing potential among first-generation college students from underserved communities. Lycoming, which was part of College Track’s inaugural cohort of partner colleges and universities, works with College Track to recruit first-generation students that contribute to the diversity of the campus community.
Throughout her career, Collado has leveraged her leadership to advocate for equity in all forms, pushing toward real change by activating an awareness of — and working toward the deconstruction of — existing structures that prevent full participation, whether on campuses or in communities at large.
Prior to her leadership at College Track, Collado served as the ninth president of Ithaca College and, at the conclusion of her tenure, was named president emerita of the institution. She was the first person of color to be named president at Ithaca College, and the first Dominican-American in the United States to serve as president of a four-year institution.
She is known nationally for designing and implementing innovative approaches in higher education that expand student access and success and has extensive experience overseeing complex not-for-profit organizations in both the private and public sectors of higher education.
A skillful and dynamic leader, Collado previously served as executive vice chancellor and chief operating officer at Rutgers University-Newark, dean of the college and vice president for student affairs at Middlebury College, and executive vice president of The Posse Foundation, where she scaled its operations nationally.
Collado is the Brooklyn-born daughter of Dominican immigrants and a first-generation college graduate. She is a member of Posse’s inaugural class of students, the first Posse scholar to receive a doctoral degree, and the first to become a trustee of a higher education institution through her decade of service on the Board of Trust at Vanderbilt University, her alma mater. She was named trustee emerita upon the conclusion of her tenure with this board.
Among her commitments to serving her communities, Collado is a board member of ACT, Excelencia in Education, Kids First Chicago, National Association for College Admission Counseling, StarRez, and is a founding member of Presidents’ Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration. She serves as a senior fellow at the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching and co-chairs the Carnegie Commission on Post-secondary Education. She is a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences’ Commission on Opportunities After High School, an advisor for The Flight School, and serves as honorary chairwoman of the Mariposa Foundation.
Collado earned her bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and her master’s and doctoral degrees in clinical psychology from Duke University. Collado resides in Oakland with her husband, A. Van Jordan, an award-winning poet, and their dogs, Frida and Melba.
President Kent Trachte to receive honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree
Kent Trachte, Ph.D., president of Lycoming College, will also receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree at this year’s commencement ceremony. Trachte announced in the fall that he will retire in June.
Trachte provided thoughtful and bold leadership during a period of rapid change in higher education, including significant demographic shifts and the Covid 19 pandemic, while advancing initiatives that softened the boundaries of the residential campus and established bridges to the Williamsport community. He worked to improve college access by partnering with premier charter schools, including College Track, on a recruitment strategy that led to recognition for Lycoming as a trailblazer in social mobility.
Trachte led an era of transformation at Lycoming College that saw an investment of $65 million into campus facilities with the construction of the Lynn Science Center, Krapf Gateway Center, Trachte Music Center, Doug and Dawn Keiper Stadium, and UPMC Field, as well as the construction of the Lycoming College Baseball Complex in Brandon Park, and renovation of residence halls, classrooms, science labs, and athletic facilities. He also oversaw the opening of the Lycoming College Art Gallery in downtown Williamsport and a transformation of the College’s entrance.
Trachte partnered with local and state officials and private developers to revitalize the east end of Williamsport, securing $15 million in grants from congressionally directed spending, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Lycoming County, the City of Williamsport, and local foundations.
During his tenure, Lycoming executed the most successful campaign in its history, vastly exceeding goals by raising $79.2 million for capital projects, new academic programs, endowed scholarships, and the Lycoming Fund.
A hallmark of his administration was a commitment to a first-rate faculty with an emphasis on both teaching and scholarship, which further established Lycoming as a preeminent undergraduate institution. Under his guidance, Lycoming expanded academic offerings with the addition of neuroscience, biochemistry, entrepreneurship, computer science, anthropology, and medieval studies, and established the Center for Enhanced Academic Experiences and the Outdoor Leadership and Education program.
Trachte serves on several boards, including the Williamsport Water and Sanitary Authorities, the Association of Independent Colleges & Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) Board of Directors as Government Liaison, and the Landmark Conference President’s Council. His past service includes chairing the AICUP Board, Middle Atlantic Conference President’s Council, and the Lycoming County United Way Board. He also served on the NCAA Division III President’s Council, the Williamsport-Lycoming County Chamber of Commerce Board, and Williamsport’s Community Arts Center Board.
Prior to joining Lycoming College, Trachte worked for a quarter-century at Franklin and Marshall College as dean of freshmen before being named associate vice president, and then dean of the college. Prior to F&M, he taught political science at Gettysburg College, Long Island University, and Clark University.
A native of De Pere, Wis., Trachte earned a bachelor’s degree in government from Dartmouth College, a master’s degree in international relations from the University of Kentucky, and a doctoral degree in political science from Binghamton University. He and his wife, Sharon Trachte, Ph.D., have a son, Kenyon, who practices law in New York.
Benjamin Fry to deliver senior greeting
Graduating senior Benjamin Fry, a biology: ecology major with minors in both chemistry and environmental science, was selected to deliver this year’s senior greeting at Lycoming’s 177th Commencement exercises by the Senior Class Officers, and the faculty and staff who serve on the selection committee.
Fry is an active member of the College’s campus community, and one who has proven himself an effective leader who was nominated for the College’s top honor of Chieftain during his final semester. He was a member of Student Senate all four years, serving as treasurer during his junior and senior years; served as the Class of 2025 treasurer; and served on the Community Activities Board, the Academic Standards Committee, and the Marathon Canoe Team. Fry also worked as an admissions tour guide, an orientation guide, and as a Warriorthon student caller. He was also very active in the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity.
Fry appeared consistently on the Dean’s List for all four of his years at Lycoming. He is a Lycoming Scholar, and was awarded the Freshman Biology Award, General Chemistry Award, Fraternity Spirit Award, and was a Haberberger Research Fellow. He was also involved in a number of honor societies including Gamma Sigma Alpha, Omicron Delta Kappa, Beta Beta Beta, Gamma Sigma Epsilon, and Order of Omega Honors Society.
As a student, Fry was a dedicated volunteer who committed his time to assisting with student move in, habitat planting at Rider Park, 9/11 Day of Service, and LXA Food Drives, as well as to paid community service, including working as a biology teaching assistant, a chemistry lab teaching assistant, chemistry lab prep, the Clean Water Institute, and campus tutoring. Fry completed a service learning internship with the Williamsport Municipal Water Authority.
Fry plans to begin his career following graduation before attending graduate school for biology.