Hilltop to Main Street: Report to the community

July 22, 2020

Cornell College and its students are proud to be an integral part of the Mount Vernon community and to offer cultural, educational, and athletic events for the public. When the global pandemic reached Mount Vernon, Cornell worked with local schools and the city in responding. Cornell made it a guiding principle to take Mount Vernon and Lisbon into consideration with our decisions about re-populating campus. 

Cole Library Children's Library
City residents made up 39% of Cole Library’s active users and accounted for 59% of total circulation.

Here are the ways in which the college engaged with our community during the 2019–20 year.

Pandemic response

  • Formed a joint task force with Mount Vernon Community School District to share brainpower about reopening, discuss exposure mitigation strategies, and collaborate on mass purchases of supplies
  • Formed a joint task force with the City of Mount Vernon to share and discuss public health information and strategies

People

  • 302 employees make Cornell College the largest employer in Mount Vernon
  • Founded in 1853, Cornell is Mount Vernon’s oldest employer
  • 153 alumni live in Mount Vernon and Lisbon
  • 8 students served on Mount Vernon-Lisbon Emergency Medical Services
  • 4 students served on the Mount Vernon Fire Department

Sharing

Athletics

  • Cornell and the Mount Vernon Community School District have an agreement to share Cornell’s baseball facilities and the school district’s softball facility 
  • Cornell charges a modest upkeep fee for turnkey use of football, tennis, and indoor and outdoor track facilities, and is thrilled when high schools use them

Library

  • Cornell’s Cole Library operates as Mount Vernon’s public library
  • City residents made up 39% of our active users and accounted for 59% of our total circulation (the city pays under 12% of the Cole Library budget)

Mentoring

  • Cornell Lunch Buddies paired 62 Cornell students each week with Washington Elementary students
  • 16 Cornell students provided weekly tutoring at Mount Vernon Middle School

Dining

  • Bon Appétit dining services were open to the community and available for catering

Support

  • Though Cornell is a not-for-profit tax-exempt organization, the college paid $52,500 in Linn County property taxes
  • Cornell is one of the biggest financial contributors of the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Community Development Group