Endowment is next priority

Cornell’s endowment has been identified as the next priority for the Greater > Than campaign. An endowment is the financial foundation for the college, providing a perpetual resource for a rich variety of programs such as scholarships and financial assistance for students, funds for the benefit of academic programs, and support for distinguished and dedicated faculty members through professorships.

When considering the college’s age and quality, and our peer institutions’ endowments, Cornell’s $74.5 million endowment is small.  A larger endowment provides the twofold benefit of generating increased resources for programs and bolstering a college’s long-term financial stability.

Mary Bowman Seidler ’61 and Stanley Seidler have given $1 million to create the Mary Bowman Seidler Endowed Scholarship, ensuring future students like Mary and her brothers, Robert Bowman ’62 and the late Richard Bowman ’62, will have the opportunity to excel at the college.

“I want to see as many others as possible have the opportunity we had, and that’s why I decided to put this into action in my lifetime. Education is key to personal growth and is fundamental to a stable, progressive, free society,” Seidler said.

Cornell President Jonathan Brand recognized Mary’s longtime leadership among Cornellians. “This gift challenges others to invest in Cornell’s students through the endowment,” he said. “We are grateful that the Seidler Endowed Scholarship will make it possible for many more students to excel at Cornell, in their careers, and in their communities, just as Mary has.”

The Seidlers join Jon Stark ’52 and Terry Stark in supporting the endowment. The Starks recently donated $1 million to create the Stark Endowed Fellowship to fund internships and other experiential learning opportunities for students through the Berry Career Institute.