Becoming Greater > Than
Seven years ago, with a name inspired by our alma mater song, Cornell College launched a campaign to make Cornell greater than it has ever been. Now it is time to celebrate and assess what the Greater > Than campaign has achieved.
How has this campaign changed Cornell and the lives of our students?
Cornell began its 170th year this fall with more exceptional facilities, and more academic and student support, than ever before. And while we will continuously upgrade and evolve, Cornell, in fact, has never been greater than it is today.
The campaign focused resources on two priorities: facilities that support learning and well-being, and endowment growth that supports scholarships and a new core curriculum. On Aug. 31 Greater > Than came to a close as the largest fundraising campaign in Cornell’s history. Donations reached $118.6 million, far exceeding the initial $80 million goal.
Strolling through campus you can’t help but notice results.
The SAW (Richard and Norma Small Athletic and Wellness Center) opened in August, blending athletics and wellness into one facility for the entire campus.
Russell Science Center opened in 2018 as the first building built for the block. This contemporary facility has not only changed how chemistry and biology are taught on the block plan, it fosters community through its clustered offices and spacious lounges–offering some of the best views on campus. The Ped Mall now stretches to the east edge of campus to connect Russell Science along its path.
West Science Hall’s updates are so extensive it’s hard to recognize the original 1976 building inside its front doors. McLennan College Hall, built in 1857, retained its historic exterior while being modernized indoors with the addition of technology and air conditioning. Much of Law Hall was renovated to fit the needs of kinesiology, Cornell’s second most popular major. And we restored King Chapel’s iconic clock tower with its 1882 Seth Thomas clock.
Read about the direct impact of the campaign on students:
- Finance major finds her niche
- Endowment takes students to New Zealand
- Scholarship changes a life
- Azenon found home base in Russell Science
Launched with a $20 million gift
The Greater > Than campaign launched publicly on Valentine’s Day 2017 with confetti, streamers, and the largest outright gift in college history. Trustee Jean Russell ’65 gave $20 million, with $19 million of that going toward the $35 million Science Facilities Campaign.
Once Russell Science Center opened, renovations proceeded on West Science and Law Hall, nearly doubling Cornell’s STEM space to 100,000 square feet, with room to grow as enrollment increases. Russell stepped forward to provide additional lead gifts totaling $12.5 million to the athletics and endowment components of Greater > Than.
“Through my giving I want to provide Cornell faculty and students greater tools and opportunities to thrive. And ultimately, I want to help Cornell grow and flourish,” she said.
As donor support broadened, the campaign grew to encompass other strategic initiatives.
Strengthening the financial foundation
Concurrent with the Greater > Than campaign, Cornell’s faculty were planning a new core curriculum, which launched in 2020. Named Ingenuity, it leverages the One Course At A Time academic calendar to make connections between the liberal arts and students’ future work through experiential learning opportunities. It requires students to have two Ingenuity In Action (hands-on) experiences. Cornell now provides more than $700,000 per year in direct student support for those activities.
Numerous new endowments support that funding, including the Stoll Program for Law & Society. Trustee Sheryl Atkinson Stoll ’70 and her late husband, honorary alumnus Bill Stoll, funded this program, which supports Ingenuity in Action opportunities such as Mock Trial.
“Our goal was to help students understand the real world of legal practice and the many different pathways open to them with a law degree. We believed in this so strongly that we wanted to endow the Program for Law & Society so it could grow and be self-sustaining for as long as possible,” she said.
The largest gift to Ingenuity in Action—a $4 million fund administered through the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation—was given by John Smith ’71 and honorary alumna Dyan Smith.
Recognizing that today’s college students and their families have become increasingly debt-averse, the college made it a priority to increase financial aid. Through endowment gifts the college was able to offer new named scholarships, as well as innovative scholarship and debt-reduction programs for students.
Donors contributed a total of $23.4 million to Cornell’s endowment, providing a perpetual resource for student financial assistance and academic support by establishing over 60 new endowed funds during the campaign.
The SAW opens
As students arrived this fall they were welcomed into the new SAW. Built around the core of the 1953 Field House and 1986 arena addition, the facility was expanded and transformed into a wellness and athletics center that serves our athletics teams, along with our entire student body, faculty, and staff.
The spacious lobby is a place where students, faculty, staff, visiting teams, and spectators can sit, relax, and just enjoy the building—or view the competition through windows into the gym. New spaces for cardio-fitness, locker rooms, athletic training, group exercise, coaches’ offices, and conference rooms meet the needs of Division III student-athletes and the college’s Well-being Network, which prioritizes the mental and physical well being of our students.
“Having a state-of-the-art facility like this contributes to the health and wellness of all students,” said Scott Ririe ’79, a lead donor to the $20.5 million project with his wife, Shelley. “I love that it is also a recruiting tool to attract more student-athletes to Cornell. And, it creates a welcoming environment where students will have meaningful experiences.”
Joining the Riries as lead donors were Jean Russell ’65 and Richard Small ’50 and his wife, honorary alumna and Trustee Norma Thomas Small. The Hall-Perrine Foundation, a long-standing supporter of Cornell, provided significant support to both the Athletics and Wellness Facilities Project and the Science Facilities Project with challenge matches.
What we accomplished together
Planning and running a campaign takes years of work, and Board of Trustees Chair Jeff Jensen ’81 found the process rewarding because of the donors.
“It has been a pleasure to be part of this campaign, to see how deeply so many people care about this institution,” Jensen said. “They believed in our dream and gave generously, making Cornell an even greater place for our students now and far into the future.”
As President Jonathan Brand announced at the outset of the campaign, Cornell is an ambitious and motivated school, and this campaign was created to realize those ambitions. A community of over 9,000 donors contributed to the Greater > Than campaign, and together they have elevated Cornell.
Our facilities improvements are having a direct effect on recruitment and retention. Our wellness center is positively impacting students’ mental health. Our endowment growth provides stability. All of this leads to increased enrollment and retention that further enhance the college’s financial strength—continuing to ensure that students have opportunities to gain a broad and deep Cornell education.
“Thanks to our generous donors, the college is in a much stronger position to meet the challenges of the coming years,” Brand said. “The campaign and our donors allowed us to accelerate our progress and move forward with vigor. Cornell deserves every success that it has. Cornell, Greater Be Thy Name.”
