Cornell gets $10 million in grants, gifts

Cornell College received nearly $10 million in gifts, pledges and grants in fiscal 2009, an increase of almost $1 million from 2008.

The $9.8 million raised includes nearly $1 million for the environmental studies program and $2.2 million for the annual fund. Nearly 4,000 donors contributed money that will help renovate residence halls, create new classes and programs, bring lecturers to campus and provide scholarships, and help students study overseas.

"I'm especially grateful to those who supported us in a very challenging year," Cornell President Les Garner said in a statement.

It was a banner year for the environmental studies program. The program, one of the first in the nation when it was formed in 1975 by geology professor and alumnus Herb Hendriks, received nearly $1 million in support from the Cornell Class of 1958, the Margaret A. Cargill Foundation, and the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.