Cornell College E-Newsletter

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.

CAMPAIGNS COME TO CORNELL
In the weeks leading up to winter break, Democratic presidential candidates made their presence known at Cornell. Sen. Barack Obama chose Cornell to announce his service initiative on Dec. 5 in front of over 1,000 students, staff, and community members. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright stumped for Sen. Hillary Clinton on Dec. 15. Wrapping up the flurry of activity was an address from Gov. Bill Richardson on Dec. 17.

COLLEGE OPENS FOR CAUCUSING STUDENTS
With the Iowa caucuses pushed back into Cornell’s winter break on Jan. 3, out-of-state students who had planned to caucus were threatened to be left out in the cold. Residence Life, however, has opened up Merner to politically-minded students from the caucus on the third until the campus re-opens on Jan. 6.

STORM PUTS CAMPUS ON ICE
For the second time in 2007, a major ice storm shut down Cornell, as freezing rain moved through on Dec. 11-12. Afternoon classes were cancelled and employees were sent home as the campus briefly lost power. The roof of the heating plant was damaged by a fallen tree, and sidewalks all over campus were closed for days due to falling branches.

HEARD ON CAMPUS...
Pauline Drobney, one of the nation’s foremost experts on prairie and savannah restoration, spoke on prairie and savannah ecosystems in her talk titled, “Prairie: It's not just a good idea, or Why do the streams look like chocolate milk?” Leading political historian Kevin Phillips visited the Cornell campus as part of the Earhart-Cornell lecture series. Philips argued that the U.S. was following the same path as old-world powers, like Rome and the British Empire, that were brought down by the combination of global overreach, militant religion, diminishing resources, and ballooning debt.

NEWEST LEADERSHIP GIFTS
A $1.5 million gift from the estate of Dorris Board Hill ’43 will establish an endowed scholarship fund for music and politics. Hill, a former high school music teacher, died on July 1 at the age of 84. “We are pleased that a Cornell education had such an impact on Dorris Hill’s life,” said Cornell President Les Garner. Trustee Dean Riesen ’79 and Bambi Hull Riesen ’82 donated $1 million from the Riesen Foundation to help modernize The Commons, support the Cornell Fellows program, initiate a speaker’s fund, and add a visiting faculty.

CAMPAIGN UPDATES ONLINE
As part of the Extraordinary Opportunities Campaign for Cornell College, a new addition to the Cornell website has been launched to highlight plans and progress. There you’ll find highlights of many of the unique, interesting and, yes, extraordinary opportunities Cornell provides.

FOOTBALL HONORS FOR GUSTAFSON
Senior middle linebacker Chris Gustafson was named to the 2007 D3football.com All-West Region First Team after establishing school records for solo tackles in a game (14), tackles-for-loss in a season (20.0) and solo tackles in a career (219), and is second in total tackles (472).

MORE ATHLETIC NEWS
Four women’s soccer players made the all-Iowa Conference team, and first-year coach Michael Joyce was named Coach of the Year after the Rams had their best season in five years. Meanwhile, 20 Rams were named to Iowa Conference All-Academic teams, for which the student must be at least a sophomore competing in a varsity sport and must carry a 3.5 GPA on 4.0 scale. Finally, Cornell has moved as high as 10th in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III poll and sports three ranked individuals.

CLASS OF '57 ESTABLISHES SCHOLARSHIP FUND
The Class of 1957 Endowed Scholarship Fund has been established in honor of their 50^th reunion, with donations from 81 class members, representing almost two-thirds of the full class list. Over $140,000 was raised for the ongoing scholarship.

NEW ONLINE TRANSCRIPT ORDERING SERVICE
Gone are the paper forms, fax requests, and harried application-deadline phone calls. Cornell, through the National Student Clearinghouse, now provides online transcript services for only $3 per transcript. A multitude of options are available, including the “oh-my-gosh-what-am-I-going-to-do” expedited delivery service. Visit the registrar office’s page for details.

YEAR-END GIVING
As the end of the calendar year approaches, please consider making your gift to take maximum advantage of tax benefits. All gifts postmarked by Dec. 31 are tax deductible for 2007. You can make your gift today by visiting Cornell’s secure online giving site.

'LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS'
“Little Shop of Horrors,” comes to Kimmel Theatre on Feb. 7-10. Based on the 1960 cult-classic, it is a musical comedy about a nerdy florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood.

MUSIC MONDAYS CONTINUES
Music Mondays, in its 10th season, continues on Feb. 11 with Mykola Suk, a world-renown soloist, and finishes with Tapestry, a vocal quartet that has performed all over the world, on March 17.

EVENTS IN DES MOINES, PHOENIX
Mark your calendars for upcoming alumni events in Des Moines and Arizona! On Saturday, Jan. 26, Cornell will host a special event at the Wakonda Country Club in Des Moines. Then, on Saturday, March 1, the Arizona Alumni will host an event in Scottsdale at the Kerr Cultural center. If you plan to be in either area on those dates and want an invitation, call toll free 1-877-683-7666.

HOMECOMING 2008
Save the date! Cornell Homecoming 2008 has officially been announced for Oct. 10-12. Stay tuned to the alumni website for more information.


December 2007		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. CAMPAIGNS COME TO CORNELL In the weeks leading up to winter break, Democratic presidential candidates made their presence known at Cornell. Sen. Barack Obama chose Cornell to announce his service initiative on Dec. 5 in front of over 1,000 students, staff, and community members. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright stumped for Sen. Hillary Clinton on Dec. 15. Wrapping up the flurry of activity was an address from Gov. Bill Richardson on Dec. 17. COLLEGE OPENS FOR CAUCUSING STUDENTS With the Iowa caucuses pushed back into Cornell’s winter break on Jan. 3, out-of-state students who had planned to caucus were threatened to be left out in the cold. Residence Life, however, has opened up Merner to politically-minded students from the caucus on the third until the campus re-opens on Jan. 6. STORM PUTS CAMPUS ON ICE For the second time in 2007, a major ice storm shut down Cornell, as freezing rain moved through on Dec. 11-12. Afternoon classes were cancelled and employees were sent home as the campus briefly lost power. The roof of the heating plant was damaged by a fallen tree, and sidewalks all over campus were closed for days due to falling branches. HEARD ON CAMPUS... Pauline Drobney, one of the nation’s foremost experts on prairie and savannah restoration, spoke on prairie and savannah ecosystems in her talk titled, “Prairie: It's not just a good idea, or Why do the streams look like chocolate milk?” Leading political historian Kevin Phillips visited the Cornell campus as part of the Earhart-Cornell lecture series. Philips argued that the U.S. was following the same path as old-world powers, like Rome and the British Empire, that were brought down by the combination of global overreach, militant religion, diminishing resources, and ballooning debt. NEWEST LEADERSHIP GIFTS A $1.5 million gift from the estate of Dorris Board Hill ’43 will establish an endowed scholarship fund for music and politics. Hill, a former high school music teacher, died on July 1 at the age of 84. “We are pleased that a Cornell education had such an impact on Dorris Hill’s life,” said Cornell President Les Garner. Trustee Dean Riesen ’79 and Bambi Hull Riesen ’82 donated $1 million from the Riesen Foundation to help modernize The Commons, support the Cornell Fellows program, initiate a speaker’s fund, and add a visiting faculty. CAMPAIGN UPDATES ONLINE As part of the Extraordinary Opportunities Campaign for Cornell College, a new addition to the Cornell website has been launched to highlight plans and progress. There you’ll find highlights of many of the unique, interesting and, yes, extraordinary opportunities Cornell provides. FOOTBALL HONORS FOR GUSTAFSON Senior middle linebacker Chris Gustafson was named to the 2007 D3football.com All-West Region First Team after establishing school records for solo tackles in a game (14), tackles-for-loss in a season (20.0) and solo tackles in a career (219), and is second in total tackles (472). MORE ATHLETIC NEWS Four women’s soccer players made the all-Iowa Conference team, and first-year coach Michael Joyce was named Coach of the Year after the Rams had their best season in five years. Meanwhile, 20 Rams were named to Iowa Conference All-Academic teams, for which the student must be at least a sophomore competing in a varsity sport and must carry a 3.5 GPA on 4.0 scale. Finally, Cornell has moved as high as 10th in the National Wrestling Coaches Association Division III poll and sports three ranked individuals. CLASS OF '57 ESTABLISHES SCHOLARSHIP FUND The Class of 1957 Endowed Scholarship Fund has been established in honor of their 50^th reunion, with donations from 81 class members, representing almost two-thirds of the full class list. Over $140,000 was raised for the ongoing scholarship. NEW ONLINE TRANSCRIPT ORDERING SERVICE Gone are the paper forms, fax requests, and harried application-deadline phone calls. Cornell, through the National Student Clearinghouse, now provides online transcript services for only $3 per transcript. A multitude of options are available, including the “oh-my-gosh-what-am-I-going-to-do” expedited delivery service. Visit the registrar office’s page for details. YEAR-END GIVING As the end of the calendar year approaches, please consider making your gift to take maximum advantage of tax benefits. All gifts postmarked by Dec. 31 are tax deductible for 2007. You can make your gift today by visiting Cornell’s secure online giving site. 'LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS' “Little Shop of Horrors,” comes to Kimmel Theatre on Feb. 7-10. Based on the 1960 cult-classic, it is a musical comedy about a nerdy florist shop worker who raises a plant that feeds on human blood. MUSIC MONDAYS CONTINUES Music Mondays, in its 10th season, continues on Feb. 11 with Mykola Suk, a world-renown soloist, and finishes with Tapestry, a vocal quartet that has performed all over the world, on March 17. EVENTS IN DES MOINES, PHOENIX Mark your calendars for upcoming alumni events in Des Moines and Arizona! On Saturday, Jan. 26, Cornell will host a special event at the Wakonda Country Club in Des Moines. Then, on Saturday, March 1, the Arizona Alumni will host an event in Scottsdale at the Kerr Cultural center. If you plan to be in either area on those dates and want an invitation, call toll free 1-877-683-7666. HOMECOMING 2008 Save the date! Cornell Homecoming 2008 has officially been announced for Oct. 10-12. Stay tuned to the alumni website for more information. ©2007 Cornell College; All Rights Reserved