Welcome to the first edition of a new monthly column from Ithaca College highlighting where the interests of the college intersect with the interests of the community.

Salute to veterans

The Seventh Annual Veterans Day Celebration will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 10, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Whalen Center's Ford Hall. Shuttle bus service will be provided to and from the visitor parking lot on campus.

The event will include a presentation of the colors, musical tribute, and talk by U.S. Navy Capt. Larry Olsen, commanding officer of the Naval ROTC unit at Cornell University. Those attending are encouraged to bring a donation that will be used in making care packages to send to troops serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. To learn more, visit www.ithaca.edu/veterans/.

Civic association meets

Community members are invited to attend the meetings of the South Hill Civic Association, which take place on the first Saturday of each month (including today, Nov. 7). The sessions are held from 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the basement of the South Hill Church of the Nazarene, corner of Hudson Street and Grandview Avenue. Participants typically include representatives from the college, police department, and Common Council. Sign up for the listserv at groups.yahoo.com/group/shca-list/.

Higher ed impacts economy

Higher education accounted for $1.5 billion in local economic activity in 2007. That's one of the figures found in a new report jointly produced by Cornell University, Ithaca College, and Tompkins Cortland Community College. Based on the most recent year in which the three institutions conducted economic impact analyses, the report notes that they collectively employed 14,473 faculty and staff--with a total payroll of $787 million--and that their students spent an estimated $145 million on goods and services from off-campus businesses.

The full report can be read at www.ithaca.edu/financeadministration.

Obama mentor to speak

Harvard law professor Charles Ogletree will discuss his long relationship with President Barack Obama in a talk on Thursday, Nov. 12. Members of the community are invited to attend the free presentation, "Mentoring Barack Obama: From Law School to the White House," at 7 p.m. in Emerson Suites. Ogletree directs the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice at Harvard, where he taught both Barack and Michelle Obama.

Inch-A-Thon Benefit

Locks of Love and the Food Bank of the Southern Tier will be the beneficiaries of the Hillel Inch-A-Thon on Monday, Nov. 16. From 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., barbers will clip hair in the north foyer of the Campus Center. For hair that is 10 inches or longer the cut is free; less than that and the cost is $10. The longer clippings will be donated to Locks of Love, a nonprofit organization that provides hairpieces to children suffering from medical hair loss. The cash raised will go to the Food Bank, which supports hunger-relief efforts throughout the region.

Walk-ins are welcome, though appointments can be scheduled by contacting Michael Faber at faber@ithaca.edu or 274-3323.