Previous Messages from the Campaign Chair

Ending an ‘Extraordinary' campaign and presidency

With your support, the Extraordinary Opportunities Campaign is closing in on nearly $100 million. This is well beyond the goal of $92 million and unprecedented for a small liberal arts college in Iowa.

As we near the completion of this historic campaign, Cornellians are reflecting on the remarkable presidency of Les Garner. President Garner leaves office in July after nearly 16 years, and his final achievement will be the advances Cornell will make through the Extraordinary Opportunities Campaign. Gifts to this campaign are building the endowment, renovating and expanding facilities, and increasing our Annual Fund to allow the college to plan confidently.

Since our last update I'm pleased to report an additional $250,000 from Trustee John McGrane ’73 and Marty Benson McGrane ’73 for renovations of the President's House. The Class of ’60 is honoring its 50th reunion with a class gift, and set a goal of $200,000 for the Annual Fund and an endowed scholarship for Professor Ed "Doc" Rogers ’39. Other gifts include a $50,000 unrestricted pledge from Trustee Gilda Vinzulis Boyer ’84 and Barry Boyer ’84, and $25,000 from Sydney Smith Hicks ’69 for the career center in The Commons.

We are grateful for these and all gifts to the campaign.

The college is in a strong position thanks to President Garner's sustained leadership, but to ensure the long-term health of the college, we must fund the campaign's key projects and initiatives. The Commons and King Chapel are not yet fully funded and are vitally important to our long term growth. In addition, we still need to meet the Small match for the Scott Alumni Center, as well as the challenge Dyan and I have put forth to match accelerated payments on planned gifts and pledges.

The college has many needs and now is your opportunity to be part of this historic campaign. We have only until June 30 to complete this campaign. Please join me with your support at this critical time.

December 2009

Due to outstanding support from our alumni and friends, in October the Extraordinary Opportunities: Campaign for Cornell College surpassed its total dollar goal of $92 million. We have tremendous momentum, but several projects still need to be funded: The Commons expansion and renovation, the King Chapel renovation, Richard Small ’50 and Norma Thomas Small’s $1 million challenge to transform Rood House into the Paul K. Scott Alumni Center, and the expansion and renovation of the 1850 President’s House.

To focus on these projects, the Board of Trustees has extended the campaign six months until June 30, 2010. Now is the time to contribute and be part of this historic campaign.

Since our last update we have several generous gifts to acknowledge. Bob McLennan ’65 and Becky Martin McLennan ’64 pledged $1 million to fund the McLennan Center in Chicago, a Cornell College initiative to allow up to two courses each block to be headquartered in Chicago. Mary Ann Rehnke ’67 honored Cornell with an estate bequest valued at $1.1 million, which will fund need-based scholarships. The Environmental Studies Program was awarded a $316,000 grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to enhance curriculum and further interdisciplinary study. As part of their 50th reunion gift, the Class of 1959 donated over $220,000 in cash and pledges for King Chapel renovations and the Annual Fund. And finally, a $25,000 gift from Jim Hughes ’63 has already helped refurbish the Richard and Norma Small Multi-Sport Center, an effort begun by Hall of Fame Tennis Coach Fred Burke ’70 in 2007 through his gift to renovate the center’s entryway. We are grateful for these and all gifts to Cornell.

With this campaign, Cornell is pushing forward and challenging itself to be better. The campaign is having a daily impact on academic programs, facilities, and student life. Join us now to complete this important endeavor.

In this season of giving, we thank you for your ongoing support of the Hilltop.

June 2009

Students are the reason we launched the Extraordinary Opportunities Campaign. The campaign’s purpose is to enhance and deepen the extraordinary opportunities available to Cornell students in the classroom, on campus, and around the world. Indeed, it has already transformed the educations of many of our students. During the May Board of Trustees meeting we heard from 15 members of the Class of 2009 whose experiences were profoundly impacted by campaign initiatives.

One by one they described experiences we recognized as direct results of the campaign. Over and over, they confidently described opportunities made possible by campaign priorities, including Dimensions, the Berry Center, Cornell Fellows, the Pre-Law Program, faculty-student research, and off-campus study.

In this challenging economy, we are especially heartened by the generous gifts of alumni and friends as we near our Dec. 31, 2009, deadline. To date, we have reached $88.3 million toward the $92 million goal. In May we announced a grant for the environmental studies program from the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation of $10,000 per year for up to five years, along with an additional stock gift. In April a member of the Class of 1967 pledged an anonymous unrestricted gift of $100,000. We will announce additional gifts in the months ahead.

At this time, of the $88.3 million in commitments, $43 million has been pledged to Cornell’s endowment. In a down market, your gift to the endowment means more than ever. Endowment gifts will grow as the market recovers. Whatever your philanthropic interests, we can find a fit within the Extraordinary Opportunities Campaign. If you have already given, please consider an additional gift. Your gift will forever change the lives of Cornell students.

On behalf of those students, we thank you.

Special note from John: The economic crisis has spurred Dyan and me to issue a challenge to other major campaign donors. In light of the college’s need for liquid assets, we challenge other donors to increase the pace at which their pledges are fulfilled. In turn, we’ll accelerate our pledge payments. With this challenge, we can provide Cornell with the fiscal solvency to not only work through our current challenges, but to position us for success once the economy recovers.

March 2009

Cornell College has entered the final year of a historic campaign to deepen and broaden extraordinary experiences for its students. We are grateful for generous donors like you who have helped us reach $87.3 million toward our $92 million goal. In order to succeed in the midst of global economic turmoil, every gift is critical to close that gap.

Over 5,200 alumni and friends of the college have donated since the beginning of the quiet phase of the Extraordinary Opportunities Campaign. This is tremendous, but we need to do better. That is why we are especially grateful to Trustee John McGrane '73 and Marty Benson McGrane '73. They saw a need and contributed an additional campaign gift, for a total of $550,000, to provide for a number of campus programs including pre-law, to acquire property for Cornell's future growth, and to renovate the President's House. If, like John and Marty, you have the capacity to make an additional campaign commitment, we hope you will give it strong consideration.

Your gifts to the Extraordinary Opportunities Campaign have already translated into programs, scholarships, and capital projects that directly benefit current and future students. Several specific examples are included in this newsletter, including the completion of the Pfeiffer Hall campaign project. In January, nearly 160 students moved into the "new" Pfeiffer Hall, enjoying both modern furniture and amenities and the traditional charm of this 1930 residence hall.

Even in the current economic environment Cornell's reputation and programs have great momentum. As you know, the campaign seeks to advance Cornell's academic program by supporting a clear set of strategic objectives in three categories: Building endowment for key programs, scholarships, and professorships; renovating and expanding facilities to maximize the residential experience for our students; and expanding our Annual Fund to allow the college to plan confidently and to support Cornell's top priorities.

In the current climate, now more than ever, your gift will help sustain our momentum and forever enhance the life of the college as we complete this endeavor. If you are considering a gift to the campaign, now is the time to make that gift.

November 2008

Throughout its history, Cornell College has provided students with a transformative education, enabling them to live meaningful lives and enhance the quality of life for others. Cornell operated continuously through the Civil War, world wars, and the Great Depression. Our current economy will cause strains, but we are confident that we will complete the Extraordinary Opportunities campaign. With your help and generosity we have reached $86.2 million and believe we will attain our $92 million goal prior to the December 2009 deadline.

Campaign gifts are having a tangible impact on campus life and learning this fall. In August our admission and financial assistance staff returned to a beautifully renovated and expanded Luce Admission Center at Wade House. This striking facility now gives prospective students and their parents a first impression that matches the quality of our education. The Richard and Marlene Williams Fund made possible a timely appearance by the Capitol Steps, as well as our first One Book, One Campus, One Community common reading. The Berry Center sponsored a lecture series by the National Security Network, and is scheduling a speaker series to educate the public on the international economic crisis.

We’re pleased to report on several leadership gifts since our last update. A $2.5 million estate gift from the parents of Frank Whitson ’70 will further endow a scholarship in his memory. King Chapel will receive an elevator because of the generosity of Charles Warden ’41, given in memory of his wife, Ruth “Gussie” Ohlsen Warden ’41. Renovations to King Chapel and the Moller organ were made possible with a gift from Lois Wilkinson Sieben ’38. Linda and Truman Jordan, professor emeritus of chemistry, helped endow the chaplain position and further improvements to King Chapel. At Homecoming, the Class of ’58 presented the college with our largest-ever 50th reunion class gift. Gib Drendel ’58 and John Mark Dean ’58 coordinated the $677,000 gift to endow the environmental studies program and fund a scholarship in environmental studies.

Extraordinary opportunities require a dedicated faculty, a talented student body, and the programs and facilities that support learning and sustain a strong sense of community. Not only has the Extraordinary Opportunities campaign already enhanced the Cornell experience, it will ensure our future. Please join us in this strategic enterprise. We need your confidence and support now more than ever.

June 2008

We’re pleased to report that, as of June 30, alumni and friends of the college have given $82.4 million to Extraordinary Opportunities: The Campaign for Cornell College. This generosity and leadership is unprecedented in Cornell history. Now we are striving to reach the ambitious goal of $92 million by December 2009.

The campaign seeks to advance the distinctive features of Cornell’s academic program by:
    • Building endowment for key programs, scholarships, and professorships to attract an ever-more talented and diverse faculty and student body.
    • Renovating and expanding facilities to maximize the residential experience for our students.
    • Growing our Annual Fund program to create a “living endowment” that allows the college to plan confidently, to minimize increases in tuition and fees, and to support Cornell’s top priorities.

Since our March campaign update we have announced four major gifts. Board of Trustees chair Dick Brubaker ’55 and Beth Johnson Brubaker ’61 have given $500,000 to help build the endowment, bring speakers to campus, create more opportunities for student off-campus study, and improve athletic facilities.

A $2 million planned gift from Jean Russell ’65 will endow a faculty chair and support other campus priorities. Life trustee Peter Paul Luce and his wife Betsy, parents of Lynn Luce Kitt ’91 have given $1 million to expand and modernize Cornell’s admission center. And Warren DePrenger ’55 has donated proceeds of a pension plan valued at $700,000, to be used for the colleges’ highest needs.

We are grateful for these and all other gifts to the campaign. They are already making a difference in the lives of our students. Campaign initiatives including off-campus study, Dimensions: The Center for the Science and Culture of Healthcare, and the Berry Center for Economics, Business and Public Policy, offered unprecedented opportunities this past academic year. Construction crews are now at work in Pfeiffer Hall, upgrading the 1930s residence hall for 21st century students, and on the admission center.

We have had unparalleled fundraising success to date. But we’re not finished. Much work remains before we can close this campaign and complete curricular enhancements, upgrade facilities, and ensure accessibility to a Cornell education through endowment growth. We invite you to join us in making Cornell an even greater institution.

March  2008

In order to preserve Cornell’s traditions, ensure its place as one of America’s best liberal arts colleges, and meet the demands of today’s student, we have embarked on Extraordinary Opportunities: The Campaign for Cornell College. With a goal of $92 million, this is the most ambitious campaign in our history.

The response from alumni and friends of the college has been tremendous. As of March 1, gifts and pledges to the college through the campaign total $78.8 million. Since our public launch in October, we have announced three major alumni gifts, a $3 million matching award, and a Carver Grant to purchase equipment for the West Science Center.

These and other gifts for the campaign are already having a direct impact on students. The lecture and performance endowment established by Richard Williams ’63 and honorary alumna Marlene Williams brought Chicago’s famed Second City to King Chapel in January. The Berry Center continues its innovative programming and caught the attention of Business Week for a feature on business programs at liberal arts colleges. Dimensions has provided new courses, paid internships, MCAT preparation, and has sent students on Operation Walk missions to El Salvador, Nicaragua, Guatemala, Peru, China, and soon Vietnam. A memorial gift from the daughters of Paul M. Clayton ’35 has allowed us to create a scholarship that is benefitting deserving students.

We’re commencing interior renovation work on Pfeiffer Hall this summer, with a reopening planned for January 2009; you should have received a presidential white paper recently on the importance of residential life at Cornell. Once Pfeiffer reopens, Rood House will undergo a transformation to become the Paul K. Scott Alumni Center at Rood House. Richard Small ’50 and honorary alumna Norma Small have issued a challenge to fund the Paul Scott Alumni Center, matching all gifts dollar-for-dollar, up to $1 million.

As we unveil Cornell’s campaign initiatives at special events around the country, alumni are energized by the extraordinary opportunities Cornell students have today. We have met with alumni and friends in Denver, Des Moines, and Scottsdale, Ariz., and look forward to sharing the vision with Cornellians at upcoming events in Chicago, Minneapolis, Washington, D.C., and St. Louis.

Now is the time to push forward and challenge ourselves to be better. Join us to make it possible.

December 2007

These are exciting times on the Hilltop, as the college’s programs and initiatives are buoyed with major gifts of support. Each gift is providing more extraordinary opportunities for Cornell students.

We recently announced a remarkable gift from Dorris Board Hill ’43, who grew up in rural Iowa and was transformed by her Cornell education. She taught vocal music at Elkader High School and, with her husband, left the college approximately $1.5 million from their estate to fund scholarships and increase access to a Cornell education.

As we launched Extraordinary Opportunities: The Campaign for Cornell College two months ago, I said it was time for the next generation to step forth to support Cornell. This month we announced a gift from Dean Riesen ’79 and Bambi Hull Riesen ’82 through the Riesen Foundation that exemplifies this passing of the torch. Their $1 million gift is modernizing The Commons, providing startup funds for the Cornell Fellows program, and creating a speaker’s fund and a visiting professor program.

Generous contributions from trustees, alumni, parents, and friends now total $76.5 million toward our $92 million goal. Because gifts began arriving during the “quiet phase” of the campaign, they have already begun to make a measurable and visible difference on campus by funding new programs such as the Cornell Fellows, Dimensions, and the Berry Center.

These are exciting times off-campus as well. We held our first campaign alumni event in Denver in November, and will be in Des Moines on Jan. 2; Scottsdale, Ariz., on March 1; and Chicago on April 5. All Cornellians are invited to celebrate the Hilltop of today and share the college’s aspirations for the future at these events.

We have more to accomplish to help make Cornell even stronger. Join me in supporting the college through this campaign. Together we can make a difference.

October 2007

Welcome back to the Hilltop. This is an exciting time in Cornell’s history, as we take steps to improve and enhance the Cornell experience. This fundraising campaign is all about Cornell students. That’s why, when I was asked to chair the campaign, I gladly agreed. It’s a privilege to help the next generation of students.

I see a bright future for this college. Many educational institutions do not change with the times, but Cornell continually is adapting to meet student demands. This is important to me, because I want to support a college that is relevant. I want Cornell to offer one of the best liberal arts educations in the nation.

I see the extraordinary opportunities we offer students today and how they make a tangible difference for our graduates. And I’m excited about what’s next for Cornell and the goals of this campaign. As I’ve taken that message to alumni and friends of the college, they are willing—even eager—to support it.

The early planning and fundraising for the campaign have gone exceedingly well. As we announce to the public our aspirations for “Extraordinary Opportunities: The Campaign for Cornell College,” we’ve already raised $74 million toward our goal of $92 million.
Indeed, we already are taking important steps to change our vision of what Cornell might be into a reality.

Cornell has a great history of giving. The college’s greatest benefactors—Dick and Norma Small—have kept the college moving ahead with their generous gifts. Once again, they‘ve said “yes” and made a lead gift to this campaign.

Now is the time for the next generation of Cornellians to step forward.

I hope you will join me now in accepting the challenge to move Cornell College to the next level. Together we can ensure that Cornell continues to make a difference in this world through graduates well prepared to serve their communities.