On Friday, Feb. 1, Sanford I. Weill, chairman of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell Medical College, announced that the school had reached its goal of raising $1.3 billion, thus completing the highly ambitious Discoveries that Make a Difference Campaign. The announcement was made at the Medical College in the presence of Cornell University's Board of Trustees, including Chairman Robert Harrison and President Dr. David Skorton, along with the Weill Cornell Medical College Board of Overseers.
"After six years, we have completed our $1.3 billion campaign to dramatically expand our research endeavor," said Mr. Weill. "We received over $1 million from more than 130 different people and institutions, which I think really shows the broad base of support that we have. We believe in leading by example, and all of you were a great example to all of us. We thank you very much."
Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell, and Overseer Robert. J. Appel, chair of the Discoveries that Make a Difference Campaign Steering Committee.
The Discoveries that Make a Difference Campaign was launched in October 2006 as part of Cornell University's comprehensive capital campaign. At the time, it was thought to be the largest campaign ever undertaken by a medical school. Remarkably, the goal was reached in just more than six years.
Guided by the leadership of former Dean and current co-Chair of the Board of Overseers Dr. Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., the cornerstone of the Discoveries Campaign was conceived to be the Belfer Research Building, which is set to open at the beginning of 2014, and will double Weill Cornell's research space.
Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, the current Stephen and Suzanne Weiss Dean of Weill Cornell Medical College, has further energized the campaign with a focus on recruiting the leading lights who are taking on some of the most pressing medical issues of our time.
"We are all excited to have the opportunity to work with Laurie," said Mr. Weill. "We are thrilled to see what the future will bring with medicine, education and all of the things we do here with patient care."
The strategic expansion of Weill Cornell's research mission would not have been possible without the extraordinary philanthropic support of Weill Cornell's countless donors and through the leadership and commitment of the Discoveries Campaign's Steering Committee, which is chaired by Overseer Robert J. Appel. Steering Committee members include Dr. Madelyn Antoncic, Robert A. Belfer, Sanford B. Ehrenkranz, Israel A. Englander, Jeffrey J. Feil, Dr. Laurie H. Glimcher, Dr. Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., Dr. David P. Hajjar, Robert S. Harrison, John A. Kanas, Peter C. Meinig, Ronay Menschel, Larry Schafer, Dr. David J. Skorton, Daisy M. Soros and Sanford I. Weill.