A Message from Chairman Smith

This is a great time to be a Cornellian. We recently completed the largest campaign by a liberal arts college in Iowa. We launched innovative interdisciplinary academic centers. We dispatched nearly 200 students around the country and the world as Cornell Fellows. We honored and updated our historic buildings. We announced the 2012 opening of the McLennan Center in Chicago. Finally, on July 1, Cornell College began a new era with a new president.

In a word, we have momentum.

This momentum is in large part thanks to the support of alumni and friends of the college, whose generosity is recognized in these pages. With much accomplished and much excitement about the opportunities ahead, the 2010-2011 Donor Report theme reflects the feeling on campus today:  Momentum.

As chair of the presidential search committee, I was impressed by the number and the high quality of candidates interested in leading our college. From that strong pool emerged a clear choice: Jonathan Brand. In his first weeks on the Hilltop he has already energized campus, meeting with every office and department, and beginning to meet individually with each faculty member. Meanwhile, he is energizing the alumni base by appearing at alumni events around the country. As he immerses himself in the Cornell culture, his enthusiasm for the college and for our distinctive One Course At  A Time academic calendar is inspiring.

Let me pause to say that we would not be in this position without the strong leadership of Interim President Jim Brown, who served in that capacity during the past school year. He worked adroitly with senior staff and the Board of Trustees to move many initiatives forward, and I am grateful that he has agreed to stay on in the role of special assistant to the president.

As chair of the Board of Trustees, I am also grateful for the support of alumni and friends like you. In fiscal year 2010-11, we received gifts from 4,191 alumni and friends who,  despite the difficulties in the economy, continued their generosity with a total of $1.9 million toward the Annual Fund and $6.4 million overall. This is remarkable.

I will soon complete my three-year term as chair. It has been an honor to serve Cornell, and to meet so many great alumni and friends of the college. I am pleased with the firm foundation we established for a new era of leadership, and excited for the years ahead under President Brand and incoming Chair John McGrane ’73, who will continue to lead the college well. The Extraordinary Opportunities campaign, especially, has allowed Cornell to make dramatic advances that will reverberate well into the future.

My wife, Dyan, and I have enjoyed the privilege of investing our time and resources in Cornell and its students. Thank you for joining us in your support. Your generous gifts are vital to Cornell’s forward momentum.

John M. Smith ’71
Chair, Cornell College Board of Trustees