List of presidents of Cornell University explained

Post:President
Body:Cornell University
Incumbent:Michael Kotlikoff
Interim
Incumbentsince:July 1, 2024
Formation:1866
Inaugural:Andrew Dickson White
Website:https://president.cornell.edu/about/
Appointer:Cornell University Board of Trustees

The President of Cornell University is the chief administrator of Cornell University, an Ivy League institution in Ithaca, New York and New York City. Included in the list below are all Presidents of Cornell University, from the first President Andrew Dickson White through the current interim President, Michael Kotlikoff. There have been 14 Presidents of Cornell University, not including four interregnum presidencies during university presidential transitions.

New York's only land-grant university, Cornell University was founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White and has its main campus in Ithaca, New York, as well as two newer satellite medical campuses in New York City and Qatar. Cornell joined the newly formed Ivy League in 1954 and is the only land-grant institution within it.

List of presidents

No. President Term of office EducationNotes
1 Andrew Dickson White

[1]
1866 – 1885
White was the co-founder of Cornell University, along with Ezra Cornell, and introduced the bill in the New York State Senate establishing Cornell University. The bill was passed and became the university's charter.[2] White served on the faculty of the University of Michigan
2 Charles Kendall Adams

[3]
1885 – 1892
  • University of Michigan (1861)
3 Jacob Gould Schurman

[4]
1892 – 1920
4 Livingston Farrand

[5]
1921 – 1937
5 Edmund Ezra Day

[6]
1937 – 1949
First dean of the University of Michigan's business school.
Cornelis de Kiewiet (interim)

[7]
1949 – 1951
  • B.A., University of Witwatersrand (1923)
  • M.A., University of Witwatersrand (1924)
  • Ph.D., University of London (1927)
6 Deane Waldo Malott

[8]
1951 – 1963
7 James Alfred Perkins

[9]
1963 – 1969
8 Dale R. Corson

[10] [11]
1969 – 1977
9 Frank H. T. Rhodes

[12]
1977 – 1995
  • B.S., University of Birmingham (1948)
  • Ph.D., University of Birmingham (1950)
10 Hunter R. Rawlings III

[13]
1995 – 2003
11 Jeffrey S. Lehman

[14]
2003 – 2005
Hunter R. Rawlings III (interregnum)
2005 – 2006
  • B.A., Haverford College (1966)
  • Ph.D, Princeton University (1970)
12 David J. Skorton

[15] [16]
2006 – 2015
13 Elizabeth Garrett

[17]
2015 – 2016
Garrett died in office in March 2016.
Michael Kotlikoff(acting)2016
Acting President from February to April 2016[18]
Hunter R. Rawlings III (interim)
2016 – 2017
  • B.A., Haverford College (1966)
  • Ph.D, Princeton University (1970)
The Cornell University Board of Trustees appointed Rawlings as interim university president following the death of Elizabeth Garrett, effective April 2016.[19]
14 Martha E. Pollack
2017 – 2024
  • A.B., Dartmouth College (1979)
  • Ph.D, University of Pennsylvania (1986)
Michael I. Kotlikoff(interim)2024 – present Appointed following Pollack's retirement for an interim term of two years starting on 1 July 2024.[20]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Andrew Dickson White, President, 1866-1885. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  2. Web site: Andrew Dickson White. Cornell University Office of the President. 22 October 2016.
  3. Web site: Charles Kendall Adams, President, 1885-1892. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  4. Web site: Jacob Gould Schurman, President, 1892-1920. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  5. Web site: Livingston Farrand, President, 1921-1937. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  6. Web site: Edmund Ezra Day, President, 1937-1949. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  7. Web site: Guide to the Cornelius W. De Kliewiet Papers, 1949-1951. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  8. Web site: Deane Waldo Malott, President, 1951-1963. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  9. Web site: James Alfred Perkins, President, 1963-1969. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  10. Web site: Dale Raymond Corson, President, 1969-1977. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  11. News: Vitello. Paul. Dale Corson, Cornell Administrator Who Helped Quell Protest, Dies at 97. 22 October 2016. The New York Times. 5 April 2012.
  12. Web site: Frank Howard Trevor Rhodes, President, 1977-1995. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  13. Web site: Hunter Ripley Rawlings III, President, 1995-2003. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  14. Web site: Jeffrey Sean Lehman, President, 2003-2005. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  15. Web site: David J. Skorton, 2006. Cornell University Library. 22 October 2016.
  16. News: Cornell's Skorton Will Step Down to Head the Smithsonian. 22 October 2016. Bloomberg. 10 March 2014.
  17. News: Slotnik. Daniel E.. Elizabeth Garrett, First Female President of Cornell, Dies at 52. 22 October 2016. The New York Times. 7 March 2016.
  18. Web site: 2016-02-22 . Provost Michael Kotlikoff to Serve as Acting President While Garrett Undergoes Treatment - The Cornell Daily Sun . 2023-12-20 . cornellsun.com . en-US.
  19. News: Walters. Karen. Hunter Rawlings to take helm as interim president April 25. 22 October 2016. Cornell Chronicle. 24 March 2016.
  20. Web site: Lefkowitz . Melanie . 9 May 2024 . After ‘transformational’ tenure, Pollack to retire June 30 . 2024-05-09 . Cornell Chronicle . en.