$1 million gift to Cornell modernizes Commons, creates new programs

MOUNT VERNON — A $1 million gift to Cornell College from a Scottsdale, Ariz., couple is modernizing The Commons, creating new programs, and initiating a speaker’s fund as part of the college’s $92 million comprehensive campaign launched in October.

The gift is from the Riesen Foundation, supported by Cornell graduates Dean and Bambi Riesen. Dean, a 1979 graduate, has directed their support to critical areas he is aware of as vice chairman of the Board of Trustees.

Part of the gift has been used in The Commons to build the Roe Howard Fitness Center, create a Starbucks coffee lounge and renovate the Rathskeller snack bar and Orange Carpet.

The gift also supports the creation of the Cornell Fellows Program, designed to place Cornell students in high-level professional settings. The program is modeled after Riesen’s experience during the first year of the college’s One-Course-At-A-Time (OCAAT) calendar—an internship with Rockwell Collins he credits with launching his career. Already 60 Cornell Fellows have held fellowships in locations from the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston to the Target Corporation in Minneapolis to the USDA in Washington, D.C.

The gift will initiate a Presidential Fellows Program to bring leading scholars to campus to teach a course that enriches the curriculum. Because of the OCAAT calendar, scholars can teach an entire course in 3 1/2 weeks.

In addition, the gift established the Roe Howard Freedom Lecture. Howard was a Mount Vernon native and 1917 Cornell graduate who received the Distinguished Service Cross in World War I before he was killed in action near Verdun, France, in 1918. He founded the college’s still-active men’s Greek group Beta Omicron.

“I think it’s critical not to wait until late in life to start sharing our wealth with the people and organizations that helped us,” Riesen said. “We need to get involved now while we can do more than just give, while we can bring our life experiences to bear on the challenge of education for the 21st century. For a liberal arts college one of its most important challenges is to create a bridge to the work world. The long term benefits of a liberal arts education in a ‘flat world’ are clear.”

“As a trustee I don’t just come and raise my hand and vote. There is an opportunity to help Cornell accomplish its vision by creating programs like the Cornell Fellows. Trustees actually can help President Garner and his team make the vision a reality and they are making a huge impact on students within only a year or two. Cornell isn’t your average small liberal arts college in Iowa. We have a much bigger vision and a much bigger opportunity to reach students and people from around the world.”

Riesen, who grew up in Nevada, Iowa, used his 1979 Cornell degree in economics and politics to propel an international career in hotels, restaurants and real estate investment. He is now a managing partner of Rimrock Capital Partners in Phoenix, Ariz., serves on numerous boards including Meridian Bank, N.A., Famous Dave’s of America, Goldwater Institute and the Arizona Chamber of Commerce. He is deeply involved in charitable work in Tanzania as chairman of the Tanzania Water Fund. Bambi Riesen, a 1982 Cornell graduate, holds a master’s degree in educational psychology. They have three children.

“Dean’s vision and leadership as a Cornell trustee have resulted in more modern facilities and new opportunities for Cornell students. The Cornell Fellows program has already become a coveted student experience, and the Presidential Fellows will add a new dimension to the academic program,” said Cornell President Les Garner. “I am grateful for Dean and Bambi’s commitment and generosity.”

The Riesen Foundation gift is part of Cornell College’s comprehensive campaign Extraordinary Opportunities: The Campaign for Cornell College which concludes in December 2009. The campaign seeks to enhance the Cornell experience by increasing the college’s endowment, upgrading its facilities, and enhancing the academic program.

For more information about the campaign or making a gift, visit www.cornellcollege.edu/campaign.