35 minute read
Ram Report
Women’s Basketball Head Coach Brent Brase ’90, assistant coaches, and the team during a time out.
RamReport Coaches are often judged by X’s and O’s, W’s and L’s. At Cornell, coaching goes far beyond what many people see on the competition venue. It’s also about recruiting student-athletes and preparing them for life. Recruiting at a Division III institution is a year-round effort that requires a whole lot of time, says Head Volleyball Coach and Interim Athletic Director Jeff Meeker. “All of our coaches recruit locally and across the country, spending time at tournaments, recruiting showcases, and other events,” Meeker said. “We send thousands of text mes-
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Coaching today sages, make so many phone, FaceTime, and Zoom calls, and promote our programs on social media. We bring recruits to campus and go visit them in their homes. Ultimately, with So much more than winning, losing all of the work we do, we are trying to bring student-athletes to campus who will excel in the classroom and in athletics and be engaged citizens on campus and in the community.” Once those recruits reach campus, even before they start practice, coaches begin another major role—mentoring. “It’s a challenging world that we are sending these young By Matthew Levins people out into,” said Brent Brase ’90, head women’s basketball coach. “The rewards of being a coach are awesome. Part of being a coach is helping our student-athletes be in a better place in life once they leave here.” How do coaches do that? Depending on the team, it can happen through community service, through fundraising, through creating a family
atmosphere within the team, and with consistent and open “The rewards of being a communication. coach are awesome. “We have so many hats we wear as coaches,” said Jerry Part of being a coach is Frawley, head men’s and women’s cross country coach helping our student-athletes and assistant track and field be in a better place in life coach. “It’s all about building relationships. I like to treat once they leave here.” everybody with respect and make sure they know that I BRENT BRASE ’90 appreciate them. Recruiting HEAD WOMEN’S BASKETBALL COACH is all about building a rapport with student-athletes and their parents and coaches.”
For many of the student-athletes, it is their first extended time away from their parents, so coaches step into that void to provide guidance and advice.
Jackie Sernek ’14, who is in her sixth season as head softball coach for the Rams, said coaches often take a parent role for their student-athletes.
Similarly, Head Men’s Basketball Coach Dave Schlabaugh tries to create a family atmosphere.
Schlabaugh also coaches at the Snow Valley Basketball Camp, one of the nation’s top camps, and has presented at the USA Basketball Coach Academy. Events like these can help in recruiting and add prestige to the program.
Coaches look for ways to actively engage their players in the community through service. Prior to the pandemic Cornell student-athletes representing all 19 intercollegiate sports averaged 2,000 hours of community service. Teams incorporate service into spring break competition trips or even international team trips. Some have adopted local families in need or raised money for cancer research.
Former women’s basketball player Kat Schilling ’13 says Coach Brase gave the team truly remarkable connections with Mount Vernon youth.
“It was through this outreach that I realized how important team chemistry and connections are,” she says. “Seeing the impact our team had in the community empowered me to go into education at Cornell. I am confident in saying that the Cornell athletic experience and the cohesion of our team created from Coach Brase set me up for success in a multitude of ways.”
Recently alumni who played for the Rams were asked to recount their favorite memories. Few of them mentioned games or competitions. Many instead recalled relationships with teammates and coaches.
It’s that family atmosphere that All-American volleyball player Kathleen O’Connor ’13 recalled: “The major difference between Cornell athletics and other schools was that it was a family. Everyone supported each other and their future endeavors.”
So while those wins are important, it is the atmosphere developed by the coaches that forges a new kind of family, the Ramily—and the bonds that Cornell student-athletes may remember most. Matthew Levins has been a sportswriter for over 30 years at The Hawk Eye Newspaper in Burlington, Iowa. Men’s Basketball Head Coach Dave Schlabaugh interacts with forward Marcus Quirk ’22. CORNELL COLLEGE ATHLETICS
DON MACDONALD ’67
This rodeo life: ‘What a special thing’
For more than a quarter century and well into his retirement years, Don MacDonald ’67 has played key roles in producing an annual rodeo in his hometown of Evergreen, Colorado. Back in 1995, his son, Darin, needed a service project to earn his Eagle Scout badge. Darin suggested he organize a group of scouts to build a wooden fence 160 feet long and 6 feet high to create a private area for competitors, workers, and storage.
As his son’s scoutmaster, MacDonald approved, and thus began his commitment to the rodeo. He has helped the rodeo association construct an office building, a ticket booth and entrance, an accessible ramp, new fencing around the arena, an expanded concession area, and a VIP section for sponsors.
MacDonald manages the rodeo association’s 15-acre site and is a member of its board. As the group’s parliamentarian he wrote most of its bylaws.
The rodeo, a celebration of the area’s ranching history, is unusual in several respects: It is one of the few small-town rodeos sanctioned by the Pro Rodeo Cowboy Association; it is managed and staffed entirely by unpaid volunteers; and it has been in continuous operation for 55 years. It attracted nearly 70 sponsors and more than 7,000 spectators in 2022.
The two-day rodeo features a parade, a queen and her court, and events for kids, but MacDonald is always busy preparing for next year and working with groups that rent the site.
MacDonald’s devotion to community service is matched by his wife, Barbara Birmingham MacDonald ’70, who raises scholarship funds for Achievement Rewards for College Scientists. They met at Cornell when MacDonald was a senior and Barbara a first-year. She transferred to the University of Iowa and later earned a master’s degree in library science from Denver University. The couple married in 1968.
MacDonald grew up on the outskirts of Iowa City where he owned a quarter horse “who could run barrels and knew what to do around a rope.” He seldom rides today, saying, “I enjoy just being around the animals.”
At Cornell he majored in geology, forming a lifelong friendship with the late Professor Emeritus of Geology Herb Hendriks ’40. “Dr. Hendriks continued to be a mentor years after I left the campus,” he said.
MacDonald began a management career with an energy-producing subsidiary of Coors Brewing in 1970 after serving in Vietnam as a forward artillery observer. When the Coors energy subsidiary was phased out, MacDonald arranged a shipment of scientific equipment to the college, including an electron microscope and a diamond rock saw. He retired in 2012.
“I will always feel grateful to Cornell for the friendships I formed and the faith my teachers and advisors had in me,” he said. — DAN KELLAMS ’58
Cornell began its 170th year this fall with more exceptional facilities, and more academic and student support, than ever before. And while we will continuously upgrade and evolve, Cornell, in fact, has never been greater than it is today.
The campaign focused resources on two priorities: facilities that support learning and well-being, and endowment growth that supports scholarships and a new core curriculum. On Aug. 31 Greater > Than came to a close as the largest fundraising campaign in Cornell’s history. Donations reached $118.6 million, far exceeding the initial $80 million goal.
Strolling through campus you can’t help but notice results.
The SAW (Richard and Norma Small Athletic and Wellness
Azenon found home base in Russell Science
Jonathan Azenon ’24 arrived on campus in the fall of 2020, during the pandemic. While many of his classmates were learning virtually from home or their residence hall rooms, he was in the new Russell Science Center much of the year working hands-on with his faculty.
Azenon has been using the new facility—part of the Greater > Than campaign’s $35 million Science Facilities Project—literally year-round. For the past two summers he has participated in the Cornell Summer Research Institute.
He came to Cornell from Culpeper, Virginia, intending to become a doctor. Then he discovered a new passion.
That summer Assistant Professor of Biochemistry Catherine Volle and Associate Professor of Chemistry Jai Shanata ’05 invited him into their labs. That is when he fell in love with science, he says, “And Russell Science Center has been my home base since then.”
This year his research is taking him around the world.
During Block 2 he and Volle presented at an American Chemical Society conference. Block 3, Professor of Geology Rhawn Denniston sent him to a lab in Venice, Italy, to analyze stalagmites. He will present on that research at a conference in Chicago during Block 4. Finally, he’ll present with Volle again at a conference in San Diego Block 6.
He’s declared two majors: biochemistry and molecular biology, and French. When he’s not studying Azenon is a resident assistant at Pauley-Rorem, a chemistry tutor, the Diversity Committee student representative, International Student Services student manager, women’s soccer manager, and he works at Cole Library.
Jonathan Azenon ’24 conducts chemistry research in Russell Science Center. He collaborates with three science faculty on their research.
CINDY STRONG
—Mary Bowman Seidler ’61
An endowed scholarship set up by Mary Bowman Seidler ’61 allowed Bailey Barnard ’21 to attend Cornell.
Scholarship was life-changing for Barnard
Bailey Barnard ’21 grew up in the small town of Keystone, Iowa, with an older sister who enrolled at Cornell. With two in college at the same time, it was going to be a stretch for their parents. But when Barnard found out she would receive Cornell’s Mary Bowman Seidler Endowed Scholarship, she knew she would join her sister, Morgan Barnard ’20, on campus.
Much like Barnard, Mary Bowman Seidler ’61 grew up in small town Iowa—Mount Vernon, to be exact—and attended Cornell along with her twin brothers. She says scholarships also enabled the three of them to attend, and their Cornell educations set them up for success.
Seidler and her husband, Stanley, established their endowed scholarship as part of the Greater > Than campaign.
Both Barnard and Seidler are pioneers. Seidler worked at Harris Bank in Chicago as a vice president when it was a male-dominated field. Barnard’s academic interests sometimes found her as the only woman in a class, and now she also works in a male-dominated field.
Barnard graduated in three years with a degree in business analytics and a minor in applied statistics. During her second year on campus, Barnard and three other students competed in and won the novice division of the Midwest Undergraduate Data Analytics Competition.
Her internship with Goldman Sachs translated into a job at the global firm after graduation. Now she’s attending the Disney College Program in Orlando.
Engineering majors start using the 3D printers in the Peter Paul Luce Machining and Fabrication Lab in their first year. Engineering was added in 2015 and is already the third most popular major.
CORNELL COLLEGE
Center) opened in August, blending athletics and wellness into one facility for the entire campus.
Russell Science Center opened in 2018 as the first building built for the block. This contemporary facility has not only changed how chemistry and biology are taught on the block plan, it fosters community through its clustered offices and spacious lounges–offering some of the best views on campus. The Ped Mall now stretches to the east edge of campus to connect Russell Science along its path.
West Science Hall’s updates are so extensive it’s hard to recognize the original 1976 building inside its front doors. McLennan College Hall, built in 1857, retained its historic exterior while being modernized indoors with the addition of technology and air conditioning. Much of Law Hall was renovated to fit the needs of kinesiology, Cornell’s second most popular major. And we restored King Chapel’s iconic clock tower with its 1882 Seth Thomas clock.
Launched with a $20 million gift
The Greater > Than campaign launched publicly on Valentine’s Day 2017 with confetti, streamers, and the largest outright gift in college history. Trustee Jean Russell ’65 gave $20 million, with $19 million of that going toward the $35 million Science Facilities Campaign.
Once Russell Science Center opened, renovations proceeded on West Science and Law Hall, nearly doubling Cornell’s STEM space to 100,000 square feet, with room to grow
“Cornell has an excellent reputation for pre-med, and we gave our gift to make sure that legacy continues. Carole and I were excited to support the science facilities at Cornell,” said Trustee Jerry Ringer ’59 of his gift with honorary alumna Carole Ringer.
“Science moves very fast. This rapid increase in knowledge and technology makes it essential to continue to invest in the technologies in those fields. Barbara and I are working to make sure Cornell stays state-of-the-art,” said Ralph E. “Chris” Christoffersen ’59 of his gift with Barbara Christoffersen to establish a research lab in Russell Science Center.
ALLAN RECALDE ROBYN SCHWAB AARON ’07
“What better way to drive home to students the importance of the mind-body connection—and the fact that physical fitness is the foundation for total wellness—than for the college to invest in this beautiful wellness center,” said Cornell Health Promotion Director Marcia Sisk.
Students in the Geology of New Zealand course draw geologic maps on the shore of Golden Bay.
RHAWN DENNISTON
Endowment takes students to New Zealand
In 2019 Professor of Geology Rhawn Denniston and 15 Cornell geology majors flew to New Zealand, where they spent a block hiking and drawing detailed geologic maps. They mapped out shifts in the Earth’s crust caused by a series of prehistoric earthquakes. They saw evidence of a late glacial advance far into the valley floor. They hiked all day to a mountain topped by ancient sea floor and chunks of Earth’s mantle. There was so much to
see that they took their final exam on the flight home.
The trip happened because of the LaFollette-Sitterly Geology Endowed Fund—established by Preston Sitterly ’69, Steve LaFollette ’69, and Steve’s wife Julie LaFollette. They created their fund in 2018 through the Greater > Than campaign.
Geology majors are required to participate in an extended field course, which is often a highlight of their education, but the rising costs of travel, and their inability to continue part-time jobs, can make participating in a field course a huge financial burden, Denniston says.
“In some cases in the past, students have opted not to pursue their interest in geology because of the expense of a field course. Now, thanks to extraordinarily generous gifts, the geology department has the capacity to defray the overwhelming majority of these costs,” he says.
Looking back, Kira Fish ’19 says the course was even more special than she realized at the time. As she talked with fellow geology graduate students at UCLA, she discovered that most colleges are unable to offer a field course like Cornell does, so students end up going to field camps with other college students across the country.
To top it off, she says, the department made the trip affordable.
“These trips would be impossible without financial support from the geology department and its donors, and that is something I know we are all grateful for.” as enrollment increases. Russell stepped forward to provide additional lead gifts totaling $12.5 million to the athletics and endowment components of Greater > Than.
“Through my giving I want to provide Cornell faculty and students greater tools and opportunities to thrive. And ultimately, I want to help Cornell grow and flourish,” she said.
As donor support broadened, the campaign grew to encompass other strategic initiatives.
Strengthening the financial foundation
Concurrent with the Greater > Than campaign, Cornell’s faculty were planning a new core curriculum, which launched in 2020. Named Ingenuity, it leverages the One Course At A Time academic calendar to make connections between the liberal arts and students’ future work through experiential learning opportunities. It requires students to have two Ingenuity In Action (hands-on) experiences. Cornell now provides more than $700,000 per year in direct student support for those activities.
Numerous new endowments support that funding, including the Stoll Program for Law & Society. Trustee Sheryl Atkinson Stoll ’70 and her late husband, honorary alumnus Bill Stoll, funded this program, which supports Ingenuity in Action opportunities such as Mock Trial.
“Our goal was to help students understand the real world of legal practice and the many different pathways open to them with a law degree. We believed in this so strongly that we wanted to endow the Program for Law & Society so it could grow and be self-sustaining for as long as possible,” she said.
The largest gift to Ingenuity in Action—a $4 million fund administered through the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation—was given by John Smith ’71 and honorary alumna Dyan Smith.
Recognizing that today’s college students and their families have become increasingly debt-averse, the college made it a priority to increase financial aid. Through endowment gifts the college was able to offer new named scholarships, as well as innovative scholarship and debt-reduction programs for students.
Donors contributed a total of $23.4 million to Cornell’s endowment, providing a perpetual resource for student financial assistance and academic support by establishing over 60 new endowed funds during the campaign.
Abby Patten ’23 stands in the Don Cell Finance Lab, which simulates an investment trading floor within McLennan College Hall.
MEGAN AMR
Finance major finds her niche
Abby Patten ’23 is a finance major who wants to own her own business. She’s already had three courses in the new Don Cell Finance Lab, which simulates an investment trading floor with monitors and a stock ticker display that stretches around the ceiling displaying live market information.
The lab is a major feature of the renovated McLennan College Hall, a building which dates back to 1857—exactly 100 years before the debut of the S&P 500 stock index.
“In our Investments course we used the stock display quite a bit. Every morning we started out talking about where the market was that day, especially the S&P 500, and stocks like Tesla or Apple,” Patten says. “Even during class I noticed myself and my classmates looking up there and seeing what’s going on.”
Faculty use the ticker information in many ways, such as demonstrating a trend or explaining the impact of current news on asset values. It underscores the importance of keeping abreast of the market, a habit essential in finance careers.
Patten enjoys the lab so much that she and her classmates gravitate there during breaks and downtime when they’re in the building, she says. When she isn’t studying in Cole Library, she likes to study in the lab, named for the late Professor Emeritus of Economics and Business Don Cell and funded by Dick Chambers ’65. He and other donors invested a total of $3.6 million in McLennan College Hall, with a generous lead gift from Bob McLennan ’65 and Becky Martin McLennan ’64.
Patten captains the Cornell cheer team, serves on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and participates in Lunch Buddies with third graders at Mount Vernon’s elementary school—where she once was a third grader with her own Cornell Lunch Buddy. She holds two part-time jobs and coaches cheer at Mount Vernon High School.
Cornell recently established a partnership with Iowa State University’s graduate finance program, and Patten says she may pursue that program when she graduates after only three years. ”I don’t want to leave Iowa,” she says. “I love being here.”
“We hope that the updating of College Hall will have a positive impact on students, particularly prospective students, and because almost one-third of the faculty have their offices in the building, we hope it will underscore how much they are appreciated,” said Bob McLennan ’65 of the lead gift he and Becky Martin McLennan ’64 made to the $3.6 million project.
ROBYN SCHWAB AARON ’07
The SAW opens
As students arrived this fall they were welcomed into the new SAW. Built around the core of the 1953 Field House and 1986 arena addition, the facility was expanded and transformed into a wellness and athletics center that serves our athletics teams, along with our entire student body, faculty, and staff.
The spacious lobby is a place where students, faculty, staff, visiting teams, and spectators can sit, relax, and just enjoy the building—or view the competition through windows into the gym. New spaces for cardio-fitness, locker rooms, athletic training, group exercise, coaches’ offices, and conference rooms meet the needs of Division III student-athletes and the college’s Well-being Network, which prioritizes the mental and physical well being of our students.
“Having a state-of-the-art facility like this contributes to the health and wellness of all students,” said Scott Ririe ’79, a lead donor to the $20.5 million project with his wife, Shelley. “I love that it is also a recruiting tool to attract more student-athletes to Cornell. And, it creates a welcoming environment where students will have meaningful experiences.”
Joining the Riries as lead donors were Jean Russell ’65 and Richard Small ’50 and his wife, honorary alumna and Trustee Norma Thomas Small. The Hall-Perrine Foundation, a long-standing supporter of Cornell, provided significant support to both the Athletics and Wellness Facilities Project and the Science Facilities Project with challenge matches.
“That piercing tower in the sky is iconic. We want to protect that forever for Cornell,” said Trustee Linda Webb Koehn ’66 of the lead gift she and her husband, honorary alumnus Thomas K. Koehn, gave to restore King Chapel’s clock tower and 1882 clock.
ROBYN SCHWAB AARON ’07
What we accomplished together
Planning and running a campaign takes years of work, and Board of Trustees Chair Jeff Jensen ’81 found the process rewarding because of the donors.
As President Jonathan Brand announced at the outset of the campaign, Cornell is an ambitious and motivated school, and this campaign was created to realize those ambitions. A community of over 9,000 donors contributed to the Greater > Than campaign, and together they have elevated Cornell.
Our facilities improvements are having a direct effect on recruitment and retention. Our wellness center is positively impacting students’ mental health. Our endowment growth provides stability. All of this leads to increased enrollment and retention that further enhance the college’s financial strength—continuing to ensure that students have opportunities to gain a broad and deep Cornell education.
“Thanks to our generous donors, the college is in a much stronger position to meet the challenges of the coming years,” Brand said. “The campaign and our donors allowed us to accelerate our progress and move forward with vigor. Cornell deserves every success that it has. Cornell, Greater Be Thy Name.”
JEFFREY M c CUNE ’99 A scholar who teaches disobedience
Jeffrey McCune ’99 is an extensively published writer, professor, and higher ed administrator with an impressive bio. He’s also Black and queer, a self-described “hard optimist,” a lyrical orator even in casual conversation, and a professional speaker. He brings energy into conversations that would wake up the sleepiest undergrad.
As the director of the Frederick Douglass Institute (FDI), McCune organized and galvanized a community of scholars at the University of Rochester in his first year to move the program of African and African American Studies into what is to be the Department of Black Studies.
FDI started in 1986. McCune completed a post-doctoral fellowship year at FDI in 2006-07, and his new charge as he returned to FDI a year ago was to advance the original mission while developing an infrastructure that was both enlivening and sustainable. Previously, McCune was on faculty at Washington University in St. Louis.
His advice to Cornell students is to never forget the mission here on Earth is never to advance oppression, but to advance freedom for all. Hence, he says, this is why all must first recognize the importance of the study of Blackness, especially in a world with disproportionate rates of class inequality, joblessness, and homelessness among Black and brown folks that occur at alarming rates; where we see COVID ravaging Black and brown communities especially, and where we see anti-Black state violence.
“Truly, I believe Du Bois is still right; the problem of the century is still race. I would encourage current Cornell students and alumni to take seriously these questions of race—and pursue them with rigor,” McCune says. “The questions of race are not just how to not be racist, but to understand how we exist in the world in which we live. What is our role as people of all races? We organize ourselves, sadly, against what we are not. That advances anti-Blackness that has historically been a part of this country.”
The real measurement of the health of our country, McCune says, is how those who are at the bottom are doing. Grotesque individualism is what has infringed on the rights of so many; it’s killing us, he says.
J. ADAM FENSTER/UNIVERSITY OF ROCHESTER
McCune’s pitch is that we fail better at what we’ve learned about our world; that it goes beyond unlearning white supremacy, sexist notions, homophobic reactions, and distrust of another’s religion. Instead. he says we must disobey the dictates of what we’ve absorbed from our culture and history.
“Today, across the cities of the world, we see a tradition of young Black men communing on the corner. We know that, historically, young Black men on the corner are harassed,” he says. “In a failing white supremacist world, we will just say ‘hello.’ For today, we will not stare as we drive by them. If we are failing better, we will not police them. Today, we will see them with care for their humanity; we will not kill them.” —LISA GRAY GIURATO
WEB EXTRA
Read more about McCune and his work at crnl.co/mccune Watch McCune being interviewed about his work with the FDI at crnl.co/fdi
18things
to love about Cornell
By Dee Ann Rexroat ’82 & Lisa Gray Giurato
Most Cornell alumni first moved onto campus at the age of 18, the age when you became a legal adult. To chemists 18 is the atomic number of argon. There are 18 holes on a regulation golf course, 18 players in Australian football, and in some cultures, 18 is considered a lucky number, the numerical equivalent of life itself.
And here at Cornell, we know that students can do anything in 18 days, the perfect number of days in a block.
EVERYONE’S CORNELL EXPERIENCE IS A LITTLE
DIFFERENT, AND SOME OF OUR FAVORITE THINGS
ARE NOT UNIQUE TO THE HILLTOP BUT ARE NO LESS SPECIAL TO US. ALTHOUGH IT WAS TOUGH
TO NARROW ALL THE THINGS WE LOVE ABOUT
CORNELL TO ONLY 18, WE DID OUR BEST.
ROBYN SCHWAB AARON ’07
Professor of Geology Emily Walsh and her students study rock specimens—in and out of the classroom—without distraction from other courses.
1
The deep immersion of ONE COURSE AT A TIME. And the way it gives Cornellians the ability to focus in an age of distractions.
MAREN HANSEN ’74
Cornell roomates Alice Ritter ’74, Linda Chin ’74, Maren Hansen ’74, and Marcia Radosevich ’74 (from left) gathered for a “playdate” in Santa Barbara, California, in 2017.
2
Having classmates become your FRIENDS FOR LIFE. Bonds forged during milestone moments stay steady despite time and distance. Reuniting with lifelong friends conjures happy memories and creates new ones.
Friends Abdulla Awaji ’22 (left) and Aria Dehshid ’22 prepare to walk across the commencement stage.
ALLAN RECALDE
3
AFFINITY SEATING. The tradition of sitting next to friends instead of in alphabetical order at Commencement began with the Class of 1973 and will observe its 50th anniversary with the Class of 2023.
ALLAN RECALDE Block breaks can be a time to kick back like these students did one winter’s day.
4
BLOCK BREAKS. For relaxing and road trips and athletics competition and pure fun. You will wish you could incorporate them into your career and life once you leave the Hilltop.
5
The beauty of the HISTORICAL BUILDINGS on and around campus, in any season. There’s a reason Cornell College was the first campus named in its entirety to the National Register of Historic Places.
DEE ANN REXROAT ’82
Julissa Rivera ’24 paints The Rock purple, of course, after it was moved next to Law Hall in summer 2022.
6
THE ROCK. Cornellians since 1889 share a campus boulder that is a message board, a selfie station, and a challenge to move, burn, and bury.
NICK SCHWARTZ ’25
7
THE ORANGE CARPET. Situated in the center of the Thomas Commons and visible from two levels, this expanse of warm orange tones has been a meeting space and hangout for students since 1966.
James Tutson and the Rollback (featuring Professor of History and German Studies Tyler Carrington on drums) performs on the OC in 2022 to a happy crowd of dancing students.
8
THE PED MALL, a place to see and say hi to everyone. As Cornell’s campus grew, it’s Hilltop walkway came to offer more than a view of the Cedar River Valley. Almost everyone walks it daily to friendly Midwestern hellos.
The Ped Mall was replaced and upgraded in 2002, when it officially became known as the Marie Fletcher Carter Pedestrian Mall.
9
THE FACULTY AND STAFF. The Cornell experience “is about the community as a whole and how those experiences shape our lives,” says Tabitha Snyder Abels ’96, who has maintained a 30-year relationship with her facilities work-study supervisor, Gerry Decious.
10
KING CHAPEL. A National Register icon. The touchstone of generations of Cornellians. The first sign of campus you see as you approach Mount Vernon, making your heart beat a little bit faster.
Professor of Economics and Business A’amer Farooqi warmly greets Abubakar Shehu ’17, an international student from Nigeria, following Commencement.
ROBYN SCHWAB AARON ’07
King Chapel dominates the campus skyline.
TODD KNOOP
Students and faculty in the 2019 Economics and Business 321 course jump for joy in China.
11
OFF-CAMPUS COURSES with Cornell professors. Spending a block with your professor and classmates to learn the subject matter of your course earns you credit, of course, but you also benefit from long-lasting relationships with your professor and fellow block-mates.
12
A PRESIDENT who gets to know students by name. Current students like to highfive President Brand, who makes a point to get to know students by attending their sports, fine arts, and academic events. Other presidents have had similar devotion to Cornell students, often hosting student events in their campus residence.
President Brand high-fives Shelby Williams ’21 at a track meet on campus.
13
A rich history of CIVIL RIGHTS AND SOCIAL JUSTICE ACTIVISTS. Among the luminaries: Susan B. Anthony (1879), Booker T. Washington (1900), W.E.B. Du Bois (1905), Martin Luther King Jr. (1962), Julian Bond (1969), Shirley Chisholm (1982), Dick Gregory (1972), Jesse Jackson (1988), Gloria Steinem (1999), Cornel West (2001), The Rev. Raphael Warnock (2008), and Dolores Huerta (2001 and 2012).
Dolores Huerta, co-founder of the United Farm Workers of America, speaks in Kimmel Theatre in 2012.
CORNELL COLLEGE Friends build a puzzle during a cozy afternoon in the residence halls.
14
RESIDENTIAL LIFE on the Hilltop. With 92% of students living on campus and calling it home, they know each other and care as a community. Plus there’s always someone to talk to down the hall.
15
INK POND. A place of serenity where you can watch the water, the goslings, or the night stars and dream your big dreams or simply daydream the day away.
16
THE SQUIRRELS. They may not be unique to Cornell, but our squirrels—a.k.a. Cornell Chunkies—are an endearing aspect of campus life.
It’s a good day on campus when you come face-to-face with a curious squirrel.
MEGAN AMR
17
OUR RIVALRY WITH COE COLLEGE. It began in 1891 and is the oldest football rivalry west of the Mississippi. It inspired the toilet paper toss and the all-sport Bremner Cup traveling trophy. And it connects three centuries of fanatical fans.
CORNELL COLLEGE ARCHIVES
Early evidence of the rivalry with Coe from Altoona Hall, a former residence hall.
ALLAN RECALDE
A student production of “Rent” in 2018.
18
The legacy and power of the FINE ARTS at Cornell. The literary arts, music, theatre, dance, and visual arts are an enduring aspect of the liberal arts experience that continues to transport the artists and those who enjoy watching and listening.
WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT CORNELL? Share with us at cornellreport@cornellcollege. edu.
HIROMI NAKAZAWA ’01
Facing big challenges
Hiromi Nakazawa ’01 lives with her husband Harper Reed ’01 and their young son in Chicago. She works as a tax senior manager at the global accounting firm Deloitte. Nakazawa grew up in the Yamanashi Prefecture in Japan, a sister state to Iowa, a connection that led to a scholarship funding her dream: living abroad and learning a new culture.
Her tight-knit family fretted over the idea of Nakazawa traveling so far from home, and she felt some trepidation about living in the Midwest. She soon learned it gave her opportunities: to learn about a new culture, meet new people, and understand Japan’s history better.
Two years after transferring to Cornell, Nakazawa graduated with a bachelor’s degree in art with a focus on art history and a minor in anthropology; she went on to earn her master’s in art history from the Art Institute of Chicago.
She entered her industry in part because she wanted to use her bilingual skills and because she was interested in working with a group of multicultural women that she has now worked with at two different companies.
In Nakazawa’s work, she supports multinational companies that send and receive people from all over the globe. Her work makes sure companies and assignees are tax compliant, take the most tax-efficient positions, and that the host country and home country tax policies are met.
Nakazawa has faced many challenges, including when she was at Cornell.
Professor of Art History Chris PennGoetsch supported Nakazawa in her academic endeavors when she most needed someone in her corner to cheer her on. When she struggled, PennGoetsch was there for her.
“Chris was my hero and still is my hero.”
Being an international student is not easy.
Reading large volumes of her non-native language as a student could take copious amounts of her study time, a challenge her native English-speaking peers did not face. She reached out to Anthropology Professor Alfrieta Monagan to ask her which readings were really important. Monagan helped her prioritize.
But Nakazawa’s toughest challenge to date is also her proudest moment.
“I struggled with fertility. We used surrogacy,” she says. “I am proud that I accepted the fact that it doesn’t matter how we started our family. I used to be secretive and ashamed of it, but after my son arrived, it didn’t matter. I love him so much. Now, I feel there is a reason why I have done all I’ve done and that is to get ready for him.”
Nakazawa stays in touch with her friends from Cornell and values those friendships. She knows they are always there for her. And she is amazed at times, at how two years at Cornell had such a deep impact on her life. —LISA GRAY GIURATO
IVAN INDRAUTAMA
