16 Years: President hopes to exit Cornell on a high note

Les Garner hopes one of his last acts as Cornell College president will be announcing the school's record-breaking fundraising campaign total.

Cornell leaders have well surpassed the $92 million goal and will announce the final tally in a few weeks.

It would be a fitting final act, some on campus say, for a president who helped lead the largest fundraising effort in Cornell history, helped plan the launch of new academic initiatives, and saw student retention grow by double digits during his 16-year tenure.

“Obviously, people have embraced the vision President Garner has had for Cornell and rallied around that vision,” Vice President for Enrollment Jonathan Stroud said.

Garner, 59, said he came to Cornell in August 1994 impressed with the tradition and quality. His goal as president was to secure Cornell's position as a distinguished national liberal arts college.

Sitting in his sun-filled office last week with just a few months left to his Cornell tenure, Garner said he felt he's met many of his targets. But, he said, work toward aspirations always remains.

“If I were to come to the end with no unfinished business, I haven't been doing what I was supposed to be doing for the past year or so, because part of the job is to find and set new challenges,” he said.

The college president in Iowa with the most years of service, Garner will make the transition sometime in July to his new job, as president and CEO of the Greater Cedar Rapids Community Foundation.

The time was right in his life to try something new, Garner said, and he feels he leaves Cornell in a strong position to attract a new leader.

During his presidency, Cornell built its financial strength through increased fundraising; stabilized enrollment near 1,200 and likely will see record numbers this fall; and added new faculty positions and academic initiatives, including the Dimensions Center for health care and the Berry Center for Economics, Business and Public Policy.

On the facility front, the college saw several major renovations and additions under Garner's leadership, including $60 million in fine arts renovations that led to an enrollment boom in theater.

“It's been a great run here,” Garner said. “People have been wonderful, and I think my successor can expect the same.”

Cornell's academic reputation has grown because of the new programs, said John Smith, chairman of the board of trustees.

“I think those are very innovative programs and allowed us to bring in better prepared students,” he said.

Smith heads the search committee for a new president, and he hopes a search firm will be chosen this week. Smith's goal is to have a new president in place by Sept. 1, though it could be the following academic year.

Garner said he will remain a strong advocate of Cornell's distinctive one-course-at-a-time calendar. A leadership transition is a significant event for a college, but he predicts great opportunities await his successor.

“I would say my successor should appreciate that the strengths of this extended Cornell community is a tremendous asset,” he said.