MORRISVILLE, NY— Ithaca Mayor Svante L. Myrick will be the keynote speaker at Morrisville State College’s commencement, which will be held Saturday, May 9 at 1 p.m., in the college’s Recreation Center.
Born and raised in Earlville, Myrick was sworn into office in January 2012 and became, at 24, the City of Ithaca’s youngest mayor and first mayor of color. He was first elected to the Common Council at the age of 20 while still a junior at Cornell University. He is one of the youngest mayors in US history and one of the few to be popularly elected by city-wide vote.
Myrick’s first budget included a radical overhaul of city government that merged departments, streamlined processes and successfully closed a $3 million deficit— all while delivering the lowest tax increase in the City of Ithaca since the year 2000.
His active advocacy in Albany and in Washington D.C. has resulted in more than $20 million of grants and awards from the state and federal government.
Myrick also turned his dedicated mayoral parking space into a public park, brought fireworks back to the City on the Fourth of July and moved Ithaca into the 21st century by embracing social media and overhauling the city’s web presence.
His recent accomplishments include revisions to the City of Ithaca’s sidewalk policy, an overhaul of storm water utility legislation, successful implementation of the total rehabilitation of the Commons, Ithaca’s downtown pedestrian mall, and making changes within the Ithaca Police Department in an effort to improve police and community relations.
A youth advocate, Myrick chaired the committee to create the Ithaca Youth Council in 2008, his first year in office. His experience with poverty and homelessness as a child has shaped some of his political beliefs and passion for public service.
Myrick earned a bachelor’s degree in communication from Cornell University.
Morrisville State’s curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
In addition to being named to the 2014 President’s Higher Community Education Service Honor Roll, the college was recognized by U.S. News and World Report as an institution in the top tier of the Best Regional Colleges list and ranked second among regional colleges nationwide for outperforming its anticipated graduation rate.