College Leadership

The college is under the leadership of President Leslie H. Garner Jr., who came to Cornell in August 1994 from a seven-year term as president of North Carolina Wesleyan College. President Garner holds Ph.D. and master’s degrees in public policy from Harvard University.

He serves on the boards of a number of organizations, including the Associated Colleges of the Midwest (ACM) and the National Association of Independent Colleges of University (NAICU), both of which he has chaired. He has also headed the boards for the Cedar Rapids Chamber of Commerce and the Cedar Rapids Symphony in recent years.

President Garner is the chief executive officer of the college and advisor to and agent of the 39-member board of trustees. As educational and administrative head, the president superintends the affairs of the college and executes the decisions of the board.