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2006 News
On September 7, 2006, under a brilliant Ithaca sky, Cornell’s 12th
President, David Skorton, took the helm of the University in a celebration marked by music, singing, and dance. His love of jazz, gospel, and the performing arts was apparent as he talked about the “dance that
is Cornell” and shared themes of optimism and strengthening the University, pausing several times for musical interludes
during his remarks. Skorton, the first in his family to attend college, has been
described as a scientist, thinker, ethicist, humanist, jazz artist, and cardiologist.
His commitment to serving the global community was also apparent when he spoke of efforts to bring "the expertise and
heart of Cornell to the inner cities of our country and to Darfur." Besides announcing
divestment of Cornell resources in oil companies operating in the Sudan, Skorton indicated that he was “pursuing other
avenues where Cornell can be a positive force in that and other troubled parts of our world” and would seek “ways
by which the Cornell community can effectively educate itself about this and other areas of Africa; sponsor serious discussions
to include Sudanese academics and other knowledgeable colleagues; and contribute, within our capabilities as an educational
institution, to the improvement of the educational and related environment in that country." Cornell Ranks as One of 50 Best Colleges for Blacks In the September 2006 issue of Black
Enterprise, Cornell ranked 26th out of more than 1,400 public and private colleges and universities. The ranking was based on surveys from about 500 African-American higher-education professionals, including
presidents, chancellors and directors of student affairs, and considered variables such as black student graduation rates,
total black undergraduate enrollment and the percentage of black students in the undergraduate population. Cornell Provost Carolyn (Biddy) A. Martin expressed pride in the achievement, noting that "Cornell's commitment
to a diverse and inclusive campus dates back to its inception in 1865 and it continues, but we have a lot of work yet to do,
and we will place renewed emphasis on diversity over the next several years." CBAA’s Outstanding Senior
Service Award Once
again, CBAA bestowed its Senior Service Award, recognizing a graduating Cornell senior who demonstrated outstanding service
and leadership in efforts to enhance the lives of African Americans and the Cornell community.
Gillian Crowl and Deven Gray tied for first place in a field of strong candidates and received a cash award of $300 each. Gillian
is from Yonkers, New York, and was a History and Sociology major in the College of Arts & Sciences. She held leadership positions in a number of organizations while at Cornell, including president of both
the local NAACP Chapter at Cornell and the Minority Undergraduate Law Society, and treasurer of the IthaKids Big Brother Big
Sister program. Deven is from Lexington, South Carolina. He was an Urban and Regional Studies major in the College of Architecture, Art & Planning, and actively served in a variety of activities and programs on and off campus,
including as a volunteer with the Southside Community Center and Loaves and Fishes of Ithaca, and as founder and coordinator
of Ujamaa Cares, a community outreach committee based in the Ujamaa Residential College.
Gillian and Deven both expressed a commitment to continue to contribute to their communities and support CBAA’s
efforts to organize activities for current students as well as alumni. Congratulations
to these outstanding Cornellians! Dear Cornell Black Alumni Association Members and Friends, Thanks to you, our program years ending June 30, 2004 and 2005
saw expansions in membership, event programming, and communication among alumni, students, faculty, and University staff.
Our theme has been to strengthen the ties that bind us together, enriching our shared Cornell experience and heritage by: • Increasing communication channels (e.g., Yahoo Groups
and monthly CBAA Listserv (e-mail) distribution); • Doubling the number of CBAA sponsored or co-sponsored
events (targeting NYC, Philly, DC, Ithaca, and Atlanta); • Supporting the Africana Studies and Research Center Rebuilding
Project, including founding the Friends of Africana, and participating in the Africana Center Groundbreaking and Dedication
ceremonies in 2004 and 2005; • Strengthening relationships and interactions with Black
students; and • Increasing CBAA’s membership from 192 in July 2003
to 439 by June 30, 2004 (including 45 graduating seniors), and currently over 200 lifetime members! CBAA definitely has been on a roll. We are poised to move to the
next level, establishing CBAA as the largest minority Ivy League alumni association in the country. Our 2005-2006 goals include: • Revising CBAA’s governance structure to reflect
a National Organization, as originally envisioned by the articles of incorporation; • Re-invigorating Black alumni participation and event programming
in cities that have significant numbers of Black alumni: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago,
LA and the Bay area. To date, over 25 events have been planned for five cities; • Expanding joint membership dues and co-sponsorship of
events with local Cornell clubs, Cornell alumni associations, minority alumni associations, and the League (the association
of Black Ivy League graduates: www.theleagueonline.org); • Formulating and implementing a long-range strategy to
increase the recruitment and acceptance of African American students attending Cornell, specifically focusing on high-school
students residing in urban areas; • Increasing the number of CBAA lifetime and annual dues
payers in order to fund CBAA’s exciting activities and programs. How will we accomplish these lofty goals? With your membership,
participation and support! Regina Little-Durham’78 CBAA President
2003-2006
Martin Luther King III will be the keynote speaker at Cornell University's Convocation in Barton Hall at noon May 27, the
day before Commencement, the Class of 2006 announced. King is the second oldest child of Martin Luther King Jr. and Coretta Scott King. A human rights advocate, community activist
and political leader, he has been involved in policy initiatives to maintain fair and equitable treatment of people, at home
and abroad.
King currently serves as CEO and president of the King Center, the official memorial dedicated to advancing his father's
legacy. From 1998 to 2003, King served as the fourth president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), the
organization that his father co-founded in 1957.
From 1987 to 1993, King served as an elected commissioner of Fulton County, Ga., representing 700,000 residents. Since
leaving public office, he has launched, among other civil rights and humanitarian initiatives, Americans United for Affirmative
Action, a national coalition of organizations to prevent the dismantling of affirmative action initiatives across the country.
Convocation also will feature an address by Senior Class President Michael Zuckerman as well as the presentation of a gift
to the university from the senior class. Cornell's Commencement Ceremony will take place May 28 in Schoellkopf Field, beginning
at 11 a.m.
Tickets are required for Convocation. Graduating undergraduates can obtain three free tickets each, available on a first-come,
first-served basis, beginning Monday, April 3, at 9 a.m. at http://www.cornelltickets.com.
Convocation is sponsored by the Class of 2006 Council. For more information, contact Jon Bellante, convocation chairman,
at jdb62@cornell.edu. NEW YORK -- An alumni-driven event to celebrate diversity and advance inclusion, the Cornell Mosaic @ New York City conference,
drew about 130 alumni and guests to the Cornell Club on Feb 4. Organizer Renee Alexander '74, Cornell's director of minority
alumni programs, called it "a smashing success." The conference, "Celebrating Diversity and Advancing Inclusion," capitalized
on the success and energy of the first Cornell Mosaic conference, held last spring on the Ithaca campus, which brought Cornell's
African-American, Asian-American, Latino and Native American alumni together.
The New York City conference began with a luncheon and a panel presentation on "Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace."
Concurrent sessions in the afternoon covered personal finance and "Life on Campus 2006," which included a talented group of
student presenters. A networking reception followed, and the afternoon was capped with the annual Pan Asian New Year Banquet
(held at a nearby restaurant), sponsored by the Cornell Asian Alumni Association.
Mosaic "really met, if not exceeded, our expectations," Alexander said. "We had a full house. People came energized. People
came expecting something really special to happen that day." The panel discussions were spirited, she said, and the workshops
engaged the audiences. "The energy and creativity come from the alumni themselves." Conference presenters included Sheryl WuDunn '81, industry and international business editor for The New York Times; Kenneth
Roldan '86, CEO of Wesley, Brown & Bartle; Magda Yrizarry '84, MRP '03, vice president of workplace culture, diversity
and compliance for Verizon Communications; Christopher Metzler, a member of the faculty at Cornell's School of Industrial
and Labor Relations and the director of EEO, Diversity and Inclusion Studies at Cornell; Ken Gurrola, MBA '95, vice president
with JP Morgan Chase; Andrew Bang, MBA '05, client portfolio manager with GE Asset Managements; Angela Mwanza, MBA '00, vice
president with Lehman Brothers Private Investment Management; Neil Kawashima, J.D. '96, partner with McDermott, Will and Emery;
and Kent Hubbell '67, Cornell's Robert W. and Elizabeth C. Staley Dean of Students.
Additional regional Mosaic conferences are slated for Philadelphia (Feb. 18), Los Angeles (April) and Chicago (May). See
http://alumni.cornell.edu/mosaic/ for more information.
Their goal, Alexander said, is to "keep that energy flowing for Cornell's alumni of color ... to encourage greater participation,
awareness and a level of involvement in what's going on on campus."
Mosaic events and conferences are sponsored by Cornell's Minority Alumni Initiatives Implementation Committee. Several
have received grant support from the Cornell Alumni Federation. May 2005 Dinner Honoring Graduating Seniors The Cornell Black Alumni Association Student Leadership Award recognizes a graduating undergraduate student
of African descent for his/her outstanding leadership and efforts to enhance the lives of students and the community-at-large
while attending Cornell University. This year’s award was presented to Shari Moseley, a sociology major from the College
of Arts and Sciences. Theodore Nyame and Aveisha Palmer received honorable mentions. The Office of Minority Education Affairs
(OMEA) Senior Celebration also featured academic and service awards for seniors from their respective colleges and schools. We are proud to have Shari, Theodore, Aveisha and their classmates join CBAA and
welcome their energy and ideas. An exciting first took
place on Valentine’s Day Weekend 2004. Over 100 Black female undergraduates
left Ithaca to attend the Les Femmes de Substance Retreat at the Wyndham Resort Hotel in Syracuse, NY. The event, sponsored by a generous donation from Sheila Johnson, the co-founder of Black Entertainment
Television (BET), was conceived by 16 Black Cornell coeds to enable attendees to share the bonds of sisterhood, and foster
reflection, personal development and community spirit. The icy winds and glances that had separated the young ladies on campus
soon melted away as the activities progressed. Friday night began with
a rousing aerobic dance session led by CBAA President, Regina Little-Durham ’78, that left many of the students exhilarated,
but gasping for breath. At Saturday workshops led by Professor Margaret Washington
relationship coach Elaine Westbrook, Yvonne Chase, and CBAA alumnae Regina Little-Durham ’78, Mitzi Young ’77,
and Deniqua Crichlow ’99, Black History and themes of Black female empowerment at school, at work, and at play, were
explored. The weekend ended with an elaborate dinner at Trillium dining hall
and an inspiring speech by Dr. Debyii Sababu Thomas, a dynamic speaker, educator, and minister, who challenged everyone to
cast aside divisiveness and to enjoy the promise of fellowship. Prof. Robert
Harris and his wife were among those present who witnessed the joyous tears as the ladies celebrated new found friendships, resolved to reach out to one another, and closed the evening by singing and dancing
to Chaka Khan’s, “I’m Every Woman.” Enter content here Enter content here Enter content here |
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