Big Red Homecoming Bigger Than Ever
Last year’s Homecoming festivities brought a record number of Cor nellians back to the Hill, and this year’s festivities seem guaranteed to top that number.With more activities for both current students and alum ni, Home coming 2012 (to be held Sep – tem ber 21 and 22) will be more exciting than ever.
The event-packed schedule starts on Friday with the Hatfield Lecture, which brings distinguished businesspeople to campus to talk about key economic issues; the speaker will be announced shortly. On Friday evening, in addition to various activities for clubs and organizations, the annual Frank H. T. Rhodes Awards for Exemplary Alumni Service will be presented at a dinner in the Statler Ballroom. That night also brings a spectacular laser light show and fireworks to campus.
Did you participate in Cornell Outdoor Education? Then you’ll want to be up early on Saturday, as COE marks its fortieth anniversary with a special celebration at Homecoming. Various breakfasts for Greeks and Cornell’s MOSAIC initiative will also be held that morning.
In the afternoon, the festivities move to the area around Schoellkopf. You can head to the Fan Festival, which will feature entertainment for current students, alumni, and their families— games, inflatable “bounce houses,” balloon art, face painting, and more. You’ll be able to get your Pinesburger fix in the tailgate area, courtesy of the Glenwood Pines’ catering arm. The groundbreaking for the new Big Red Band facility will be held on Kite Hill at noon.
Have enough energy left over for a football game? Kickoff is at 3 p.m., with the Big Red taking on Yale.
Following the game there will be a reception at Willard Straight Hall highlighting the Bear’s Den, the new campus pub. Alumni can also attend the annual Glee Club concert, followed by a concert by a soon-tobe- announced artist.
For more information on this year’s Homecoming festivities, go to alumni.cornell.edu/homecoming .
CALS, ILR Recognize Alumni Achievement
During the last academic year, the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the School of Industrial and Labor Rela – tions each honored alumni for their professional achievements and support of their schools.
In November, CALS presented six people with Outstanding Alumni Awards: David Atkinson ’60, Yongkeun Joh, MS ’78, Sun Paik Joh, MS ’77, Thomas Marino ’78, Laurey Mogil ’76, and Kenneth Pollard ’58. Andrew Ross Sorkin ’99 received the Young Alumni Achievement Award. In addition, professors Dennis Miller, PhD ’78 (food sciences), and Norman Scott, PhD ’62 (biological and agricultural engineering), received Outstanding Faculty Awards.
At a dinner in New York City in March, ILR recognized two graduates with the Jerome Alpern ’49 Award and the Judge William B. Groat Award. The Alpern Award honors an ILR alum who has demonstrated outstanding service and support to the school, and whose career accomplishments have been primarily outside the field of industrial and labor relations. This year ’s recipient was Tracy Dolgin ’81, president and CEO of the YES Network. The Groat Award is given to an ILR alum working in the field of industrial relations. It was presented to Eva Sage-Gavin ’80, executive vice president for global human resources and corporate affairs at Gap Inc.
From the CAA President
Greetings from the Windy City! I can’t believe that it’s been a year since the current members of the Cornell Alumni Associ – ation (CAA) board began their terms. With this anniversary, I think it’s a perfect time to update our alumni on what the CAA has been doing.
CAA represents all alumni. Our board members are volunteer leaders, representing a cross-section of all colleges, graduate programs, regional clubs, affinity groups, and volunteer programs. Two years ago, we changed our name from the Cornell Alumni Federation back to the name the group once had, as it best represents who we are: your ambassadors, liaisons, and advocates. For the past year, board members have been working hard to meet the needs of alumni groups around the world, and also to better define the mission and goals of CAA itself.
Perhaps the most critical accomplishment of the past year is a complete overhaul of our bylaws and operating guidelines. Organizations usually dread such projects, but this process—overseen by board member Jaclyn Spear ’74—is essential for CAA’s future success. The new bylaws allow us to be more nimble and responsive to the needs of the University. Our organization has been in existence for more than a century and is now in a better position to support today’s Cornell.
Because the new bylaws are more flexible, we are also able to better aid our Office of Alumni Affairs in meeting its goals. For example, due to Cornell’s increased focus on the Far East, we added a second international director in Asia to our board, in addition to having another member representing Europe. We also realigned the structure of our directors-from-the-region (those board members who work with regional clubs) so they can work more effectively with Alumni Affairs staff.
Speaking of regional clubs: under the leadership of CAA vice president Shana Chacko Mueller ’95, we have partnered with Alumni Affairs to develop a comprehensive club guide. This guide will be the standard for regional club operations and will allow us to provide better support for volunteer leaders. I am thrilled to report that we have been able to make it happen.
In addition to making our board structure more flexible, we are looking to find better ways to groom new leadership. Under the guidance of CAA past president Nancy Abrams Dreier ’86, we have streamlined our board member nomination process and, working with the Office of Volunteer Programs in Alumni Affairs, have found innovative ways to identify potential leaders. And to better acclimate these new board members, CAA vice president Tom Cummings ’75 led a team that created our first-ever orientation module for CAA. This invaluable tool truly sets the standard in flexibility and design. We are also working on a mentoring program for our board members, so there is constant improvement of board functions.
While most of these changes are internal, there are other areas in which you will notice our work. These pages in Cornell Alumni Magazine are just one example. Homecoming activities continue to expand, as you’ll see in this issue; CAA vice president Laura Fratt ’81 is leading the effort in this area. The Alma Matters section of the magazine has always been meant to feature news and information about alumni organizations— the membership of the CAA. With the deletion of the calendar (which was often outdated once it was printed) and the guidance of CAA vice president Scott Pesner ’87, we have been able to present more pertinent news about CAA and its member organizations, shine a spotlight on unique events or outstanding volunteers, and remember special leaders when they pass away, so their impact is not forgotten.
Recognition of our volunteers has become a renewed focus of CAA. We already present the Frank H. T. Rhodes Awards for Exemplary Alumni Service, but how else can we honor those who donate their time to Cornell? What about the clubs and organizations that work hard to bring Cornellians together? Both Laura and Scott are on the trustee task force for volunteer recognition, and we will work to find ways to create new programs—even enhancing the hugely successful Rhodes Awards.
By the time you read this, our board will be gearing up for more changes in the year ahead. I can’t wait to start this leg of the journey together and will keep you posted on our progress. Go Big Red!
Alumni Association Elects New Board Members
At its meeting in January, the board of the Cornell Alumni Association elected, or re-elected, several board members.
Four directors-from-the-region were re-elected to a second two-year term: Judy Prutzman Osgood ’89 (Midwest); Randy Rosenberg ’74 (Metro New York); Diane Shakin ’83 (West); and Bobby Tsai ’83 (International). New to the board are Kevin Yost ’71, PhD ’77 (Midwest), Alex Miranda ’03 (Southeast), and Wolfgang Fritzemeyer, LLM ’84. In addition, to mirror the emphasis Cornell has placed on international activities, another international director— Mark Hansen ’79—has been added to the CAA board.
Three directors-at-large were reappointed to two-year terms: Joy Higa ’89, Diane Irwin ’94, and Jeff Lee ’89, ME ’90. Two new directors- at-large were also appointed: Jim Alves ’01 and Mary Bowler Jones ’78.
Three board members are stepping down, as their terms have expired, and are thanked for their service to Cornell. They are Tanis MacKay-Bell ’81, Betty Eng ’92, and Larry Taylor ’73.