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Cornell's Ambassadors: On the Front Lines

Two devoted CAAAN volunteers assist the University -- and grow in the process

By the CAAAN Advisory Committee

When a high school student approaches the Cornell table at a college fair, the first University representative that she encounters is often a Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN) volunteer. More than 6,900 CAAAN alumni around the world assist the Cornell admissions community in recruiting superior under-graduate students. Each year, they staff hundreds of college fairs and conduct more than 12,000 informal meetings with applicants.

Even more important is the personal introduction to Cornell that they extend to prospective students. CAAAN's mission is to provide local, helpful guidance to students navigating the application process and to offer insight into the benefits of life at Cornell. Volunteers offer a human and calming touch to this stressful time in the applicant's life. Their personal introduction to Cornell and the talks that follow can be the deciding factor in the student's decision to attend.

That was the case in a story related by Marcia Goldschlager Epstein '64, who has served as CAAAN's general chair for the Philadelphia metropolitan area for more than two decades. A professor of behavioral sciences at Community College of Philadelphia, Marcia recalls an anxious student who approached her one day after a class. The student had just been invited to apply to Cornell and sought Marcia's guidance by inquiring whether she knew anything about the school. In the best CAAAN tradition, Marcia shared her excitement for her alma mater and encouraged the student to apply. The student eventually became a 2000 graduate of Cornell, and Marcia is now proud to call her a colleague on the faculty at the community college.

Marcia began her leadership in CAAAN as chair of the Southern New Jersey committee in the mid-1970s, when CAAAN went by a different name and had a different mission. After moving to Philadelphia in 1979, she continued to lead the local CAAAN organization. During her tenure, metro Philadelphia has grown to comprise fifteen individual CAAAN committees and receives up to 700 freshman applications a year. Marcia speaks with pride about the accomplishments of greater Philadelphia's CAAAN network, and the leadership of such alumni as Connie Case Haggard '58, Jim Lansing '53, Amy Norr '82, and the other twelve committee chairpersons who all keep the organization going at full speed.

Besides providing a rewarding experience, serving as a CAAAN ambassador can help promote personal and professional development. When Jeff Lee '89, ME '90, arrived at Cornell as a new computer science student from the Bronx High School of Science, he was "a bit shy" and "almost nervous meeting new kids." (The "almost" is significant, because he met his future wife, Debbie Squires-Lee '91, at his fraternity's first party of the year.) Two years after earning his master's degree, he joined CAAAN's Committee #34 in Queens, New York. In 1998, Jeff and Debbie moved to Boston, where he transitioned from a committee member to committee chair, eventually rising in the ranks to become the general chair for Eastern Massachusetts and a member of the CAAAN Advisory Committee.

In that time, meeting and interacting with young people who are applying to Cornell has honed his "people skills," which he uses every day in his position with Citigroup, Jeff says. CAAAN involvement has also increased his self-confidence and leadership skills, which are evident in his related Cornell activities: coordinating the Cornell Book Awards, the Freshman Send-Off, and the Cornell Club of Boston's annual bus trip to the Ithaca campus. He has also chaired the Boston Cornell Fund Phonathon for several years.

Jeff's involvement in CAAAN also provides him with a way to give back to the University, he says. "I feel like I owe a lot to Cornell." Not only did his Cornell degrees (and a Cornell connection) land him on Wall Street and in Boston with Citigroup, but his son Jesse was born at Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, delivered by Joan Kent '80, MD '84.

CAAAN ambassadors like Jeff and Marcia are enthusiastic, informed volunteers who put a personal face on Cornell by answering applicants' questions and providing them with information about the University and its strengths. Their work benefits students and Cornell--and the rewards benefit them as well.

To learn more about CAAAN, or to volunteer, please visit http://caaan. admissions.cornell.edu or call the Admissions office at (607) 255-5020.

Come Home to Cornell!

Celebrate Cornell's Homecoming October 15

The Cornell campus will be in full swing with a variety of programs that promise to keep you busy from morning to night! Attend a stimulating Homecoming forum Saturday morning. Join alumni and friends from several colleges and departments at the Lynah Rink parking lot tent for a chicken barbecue with information tables, giveaways, musical entertainment, and more. On Saturday afternoon, cheer on the Big Red football team in Schoellkopf as they take on Georgetown University. And you won't want to miss the Glee Club's Fall Concert at Sage Chapel in the evening.

For more information, please visit: www.alumni.cornell.edu/homecoming/ or contact the Office of Alumni Affairs at 607-255-7085. For football and parking information, contact the Athletics Ticket Office at 607-254-BEAR.

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