- Explore Cornell’s research, land grant, and academic missions
- Watch President Skorton’s 2009 State of the University address
- Your philanthropy means so much to Cornell. We would like to know what it means to you, too. why you give
With the new academic year just around the corner, I would like to say thank you. During the past year, each of you gave
generously to those parts of Cornell that inspire your passion, pride, and commitment. In doing so, each of you also contributed
to the whole of Cornell University.
It is my pleasure to show you some highlights of the wonderfully diverse achievements you have made possible—they are but a few of
the many indicators of success at Cornell.
Your gifts are fueling some truly amazing things.
Best regards,
David J. Skorton, President
If you received a printed invitation to this site and would prefer in the future to receive an e-mail instead, .
Global Engagement
Higher education has a major role to play in the well being of the planet and its people. You are helping Cornell fulfill its part of that role, on and off campus. Last year, thanks to help from philanthropy:
- The Law School created the Avon Global Center for Women and Justice, which aims to improve access to justice for women and girls who are victims of violence.
- Arts and Sciences launched a new, intensive Arabic program.
- In the ILR School, students gained international experience through a combination of service learning and internships.
- A team of students and professors in Art, Architecture, and Planning proposed a groundbreaking eco-design for Huludao, a northern Chinese city that is dealing with crippling pollution and transportation issues.
- The inaugural Cornell Global Forum on Sustainable Enterprise brought together faculty, alumni, and practitioners to discuss the creation of businesses that raise the quality of life for the world's poor, respect cultural diversity, and conserve ecological integrity.
- From Ecuador to Mozambique, students in the College of Veterinary Medicine traveled the world to improve animal health.
- The College of Agriculture and Life Sciences opened the Biofuels Research Laboratory for research into the next generation of fuels to power cars, factories, and farms. This work holds great promise for our economic prosperity, national security, and environmental sustainability.
Service
Tradition Fellow and fine arts major Giselle Denbow '10 saw new directions for her art and her career after she volunteered in New Orleans for her Cornell Tradition fellowship.
The alumni-sponsored Cornell Tradition program is one of the most distinguished undergraduate fellowships. Each year, 500 students receive tuition support and funding for community service work.
Cultivating Top Faculty
Our faculty's performance is a key reason why so many of Cornell's programs rank among the world's best. More than 135 current and emeritus faculty are members of one or more of the national academies and other distinguished scholarly societies—including five elected this year.
You give Cornell the means to attract and reward exceptional faculty, and provide them the resources to succeed. These top scholars not only lead their fields, but also set undergraduate and graduate students on a lifelong course of achievement.
Approximately 320 of Cornell's faculty hold prestigious endowed professorships. They confer a mark of distinction as well as the financial resources to pursue ambitious work. Last year, the College of Engineering recruited Jeff Tester as the Croll Chair of Sustainable Energy Systems and Associate Director of the Cornell Center for a Sustainable Future.
Living & Learning
The West Campus House System for upper-year students opened its final house in the fall—ahead of schedule. Faculty and students partner in creating unique intellectual and social communities at each of the five houses, named for notable Cornell professors of the past.
Last year, your gifts brought more than 200 prominent guests to interact with West Campus students. They included activist Angela Davis, former New York governor George Pataki, actor John Cleese, and President Obama's new media campaign strategist, Arun Chaudhary.
Supported generously by donors and fans, Big Red athletics had an exceptional year, winning Ivy championships in several sports and a national championship in women’s gymnastics. In a riveting sudden-death overtime match, the men’s lacrosse team came within one point of its first national title in 21 years.
Far Above
Each gift to Cornell lifted Far Above…The Campaign for Cornell to surpass the $2.5 billion mark by the end of June. That's more than halfway toward the campaign's $4 billion goal. These gifts are supporting key priorities for students, faculty, and facilities throughout the university.
Every Person, Every Year
Last year more than 14,000 people gave to the Cornell Annual Fund, contributing a record $24 million.
From helping the Cornell Library purchase collections and research tools across all disciplines, to maintaining pianos in the music department, to funding faculty salaries in every college, Annual Fund dollars sustained each part of Cornell.
Here is how your Annual Fund gifts are used:
Student Aid
In this first year of Cornell's new financial aid initiative, grants and scholarships helped an unprecedented number of students with unprecedented levels of funding.
For the first time, students whose families earned less than $60,000 per year attended Cornell without the need for loans. More than two-thirds of Cornell’s undergraduate financial aid recipients now receive grants or scholarships, thanks in large part to your gifts.
In 2008-2009, students from families with annual incomes of $60,000 or less received grants or scholarships in place of student loans. This year, the income threshold increases to $75,000—which means that your philanthropy will help even more students attend Cornell without debt.
Community Citizenship
You helped Cornell get involved in communities, and involve communities in Cornell's work. For example:
- Service learning permeates the undergraduate experience. Last year, more than 6,000 students participated in community service, experiential learning, and civic engagement through the Cornell Public Service Center.
- By offering continuing education, family and school programs, and community events, Cornell Plantations worked to foster greater appreciation and concern for the natural world.
- An award-winning Johnson Museum program served more than 5,000 K-12 schoolchildren from more than 50 schools in central New York. Students received learning kits, artifacts, and custom museum tours based on cultures they were studying.
- The Lab of Ornithology's 2009 Backyard Bird Count broke a new record for participation. The Lab's internationally recognized citizen-science programs teach people of all ages about nature and enlist them in collecting valuable data that inform conservation science.
Opportunity
In 2008-2009, Cornell's 1,924 named scholarships were awarded to 3,179 students across its seven undergraduate colleges.
New graduate and Meinig Scholar Stephanie Palacios '09 said that "Cornell wasn't even an option" without financial aid. For many students like her, the offer of a scholarship is what makes Cornell a realistic dream.
Vital Discoveries
Gifts helped furnish the research funds, faculty salaries, graduate fellowships, and laboratories needed to bring the best scientists to Cornell and enable them to make life-improving discoveries—not only in the life sciences, but across the physical, chemical, engineering, environmental, social, and medical sciences.
Weill Hall and the Weill Institute for Cell and Molecular Biology opened last year, and the McGovern Center for Venture Development in the Life Sciences gained new momentum.
The dedication event was a milestone in Cornell's intensive investment in the life sciences and in closer ties between the Ithaca and New York City campuses.
Building Leaders
From graduate fellowships to leadership workshops, you are helping Cornell train the next generation of academic and professional visionaries. Thanks in part to your gifts:
- The Johnson School held Personal Success 2009, a career preparation retreat that connected graduating MBA students with prominent Johnson School alumni, faculty, and staff.
- The Hotel School was able to bring an array of industry leaders to the Pillsbury Institute of Hospitality Entrepreneurship’s conversation series.
- The number of graduate assitantships has increased throughout the university, enabling Cornell to attract more top students to train with professors and mentor undergraduates.
- Students in Human Ecology’s 50-year old Sloan Program in Health Administration are learning to combine business training with accountability to patients, staff, and the public.
