September 2006

The Cornell Alumni Association is dedicated to fostering a mutually beneficial and enduring relationship between Cornell College and all of its nearly 12,000 alumni. Your comments and suggestions are welcome at enews@cornellcollege.edu. To unsubscribe, click the link at the end of this e-newsletter.

For a complete listing of Cornell news and events visit our News Center.

NEW STUDENTS
The Class of 2010 arrived on the Hilltop in late August for New Student Orientation, bringing with it the strong academic credentials that are becoming a tradition among recent entering classes. The average GPA is 3.51 and the ACT score range is 24-29 for the middle 50 percent of the class. Thirty-one percent were in the top 10 percent of their high school class; 58 percent were in the top 25 percent. The new class represents 33 states and 14 foreign countries.

NEW RESIDENCE HALL IN THE WORKS
Ground has been broken for a residence hall between Pauley and Rorem halls and Harlan House, to open for the 2007-08 year. The building will house 96 students in four-person suites. Over the summer the college updated The Commons dining areas, including replacing the original 1966 furniture. Both projects are part of Cornell’s long-range campus master plan. The fall Cornell Report will feature a story on the master plan and what else is in store for our National Historic Register campus.

NEW VP OF ALUMNI & COLLEGE ADVANCEMENT
Peter Wilch ’94 has returned to the Hilltop as vice president for alumni and college advancement. He replaces Terry Gibson ’59, who is taking on a new role as senior vice president to focus on fundraising. Peter was a development officer at Cornell for two years before joining Grinnell College in 2000 as associate director of development. Most recently he was director of development for the Iowa Law School Foundation at the University of Iowa College of Law. You can reach Peter at pwilch@cornellcollege.edu.

HEARD ON CAMPUS
Dava Sobel, an award-winning writer and former New York Times science reporter, delivered the Anderson Science Lecture, “The Quest for Longitude,” and visited Cornell classes in astronomy and math this week. Longitude, her book telling the story of 18th-century clockmaker John Harrison’s discovery of how to determine longitude and prevent the death of thousands at sea, became a national and international best seller after its 1995 debut, much to the surprise of its publisher, author, and even her family.

ACADEMIC HONORS
Jessica Axen ’06 was named to the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association Women’s All-Academic Team, and her team was one of 50 Division III women’s programs to have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher. The American Volleyball Coaches Association recognized the Rams as one of 44 Division III teams to maintain at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average on a 4.0 scale during the 2005-06 year.

QUARTERBACK-TURNED-COACH 2-0
First-year football coach Matt Dillon ’81 is 2-0 in his return to campus, with victories over Northwestern (Minn.) and Alma (Mich.). His squad includes two preseason all-Americans, junior linebacker Chris Gustafson on the Division III second team and senior linebacker Adam Eichhorn as honorable mention, and former Mount Vernon standout Nate Newmeister, a senior named conference Player of the Week after scoring two touchdowns in the Rams’ season-opener at Ash Park.

NATIONAL RECOGNITION
The New York Times cited Cornell as one of 20 hidden gems in higher education that “stress undergraduate teaching, have established or rising scholarship” and are good alternatives to popular brand-name universities. And former Times education reporter Loren Pope again included Cornell in the third edition of his Colleges That Change Lives. Finally, for the second consecutive year, Cornell is featured in The Best 361 Colleges from the Princeton Review.

ATTENTION YOUNG ALUMNI: COE WANTS A REMATCH!
Thanks to the hundreds of Ram Young Alumni, we defeated the Kohawks in the first Coe-Cornell Young Alumni Challenge. Coe has now demanded a rematch. Cornell will need even more young alumni support this year to be victorious. Your gift at any amount will help Cornell "Beat Coe - Again!" To view current standings visit www.coecornellchallenge.com. Go Rams!

GIVE EVERY YEAR. MAKE A DIFFERENCE EVERY DAY.
Over the next several weeks Cornell students will be calling to ask for your support of the 2006-07 Annual Fund.  Your support directly benefits students and faculty by funding scholarships, improving technology and enhancing instructional resources.  Please take a few moments to visit with the student who calls you.  Your gift of any size is appreciated and makes a tremendous difference in providing extraordinary opportunities for students.  Thank you for answering the call!  If you prefer, you can make an impact immediately with an online gift at our secure giving site or call toll-free 1-877-683-7666.

QUARTETS AND COUNTRY MUSIC
The John Corbett Band, featuring the actor best known for roles in television’s “Sex and the City” and “Northern Exposure,” opens the ninth season of Music Mondays on Oct. 16. The remaining performances are Turtle Island String Quartet on Nov. 16, Mozart Piano Quartet on Feb. 19, and Auryn Quartet on March 12. Concerts are at 7:30 p.m. in King Chapel.

HOMECOMING HIGHLIGHTS
Class of 1966 classmates Dr. James Ingle and poet Ingrid Wendt each will be honored with the Distinguished Achievement Award at the homecoming convocation Oct. 21 in King Chapel. Leadership and Service Awards will be presented to Dr. David Harsh ’61 and Ann Archer Harsh ’61. The homecoming art exhibit features sculptures by Elizabeth Rhoads-Read ’72, Tom Newport ’77, and David Rega ’77 in Luce Gallery, and wheel-thrown stoneware by Barbara “Toby” Schreiber ’46 in Cole Library.

LAUNCHING THE CENTER FOR ECONOMICS, BUSINESS, AND PUBLIC POLICY
Robert Solow, emeritus professor of economics at MIT and 1987 Nobel laureate, lectures on “Low-wage Work in High-wage Countries” on Oct. 13 for the opening of Cornell’s Center for Economics, Business, and Public Policy.

STUDENT-FACULTY RESEARCH
Why would a liberal arts college like Cornell put so much effort into involving students in research opportunities? Find out in conversations with faculty, students, and alumni in the next Cornell Report.