ITHACA, N.Y.—Ithaca College announced Monday night that Bill Guerrero, the school’s Vice President of Finance and Administration, would be leaving his post with the school to take a similar position with Springfield College in Massachusetts.
Ithaca College President Shirley Collado made the announcement, in which she credited Guerrero for his work since coming to the school in 2018 from Connecticut, where his family still lives. Guerrero’s final day with the school will be Friday, Feb. 26, according to the announcement on Intercom.
“I am moving swiftly to work with Bill and the talented staff who report directly to him to develop a thoughtful and thorough transition plan,” Collado continued. She also commended Guerrero for his work with those on campus and his openness to collaboration. Guerrero is not quoted in the announcement.
Beyond that, she noted the tenuous position that the school is in currently, attempting to reassure the IC community that despite the departure she remains confident.
“I am fully aware that we are in a demanding and tumultuous time for the college—particularly related to our financial health—as we move through a period of significant change,” Collado wrote. “I want to affirm my gratitude for the work that Bill has done since he joined the college in 2018, and I want to underscore my confidence in the strength of his team as we look ahead. I also want to take this opportunity to thank this community for all the work you have done, and continue to do, to ensure the resilience of this institution and to sustain the power of the IC experience for our students.”
As far as it goes at Ithaca College, Guerrero has been a relatively controversial figure over the last few months as the school has initiated plans to cut over 100 staff and faculty positions due to financial concerns at the college. That has, in turn, provoked a coalition of students, faculty, staff and alumni to form #ICOpentheBooks, a group calling for more transparency from the school regarding its financial health—with an eye towards trying to save some of the jobs that are poised to be eliminated.
Notably, Guerrero was also deeply involved in the school’s overhaul of its dining services programs, which took hold in March 2019.
In response to the announcement, the movement’s Instagram page published a statement asking Guerrero to open the books on his way out, though it seems unlikely he will comply. They concluded with another statement calling out the school’s Academic Program Prioritization (APP) process, that has been underway since September 2020.
“This is an important time to tell the school what we want, our ideas, and our solutions,” the post read. “The APP is not the only way.”