Cornell names interim president

MOUNT VERNON -- The Cornell College board of trustees has elected James W. Brown, special assistant to outgoing President Les Garner, as interim president starting July 1. Garner is leaving after 16 years at Cornell to become CEO of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.

In selecting Brown, the board found an interim president who is familiar with the college and will continue the progress started under Garner, said trustees President John Smith.

“The board has complete faith that under his leadership, Cornell will continue its growth even as we search for a permanent president," Smith said.

Brown arrived at Cornell in 1990 as a psychology professor. He also served as associate dean of the college and director of Institutional Research and provided interim leadership in the Registrar's Office and Information Technology.

He is a 1969 honors graduate of the University of California at Santa Cruz (psychology), with master's (1972) and doctoral (1975) degrees in developmental psychology and psychophysiology from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Brown spent 15 years as a professor and academic administrator at San Diego State University before coming to Cornell.