More than 50 executives from across the country, from such companies as General Motors, Lucent Technologies, Sun Microsystems, Pfizer and Turner Broadcasting, will participate in the Cornell Corporate Executive Forum April 28 and 29.
Highlighting the two-day forum, which will be held at the Biotechnology Center, will be presentations by George M.C. Fisher, chairman and chief executive officer of Eastman Kodak Co., and President Hunter Rawlings.
Rawlings will speak on "The American Research University as Innovator," and Fisher will address the topic "Innovation: Competitive Engine of the 21st Century." Presentations begin Wednesday, April 29, at 8 a.m.
Fisher joined Kodak in 1993, after serving as chairman and chief executive officer of Motorola since 1990. He was appointed by President Clinton to the White House Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations and is chairman of the U.S.-China Business Council and a vice chairman of the Business Council. A fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and the National Academy of Engineers, Fisher holds a doctoral degree in applied mathematics from Brown University.
"The goal of the Corporate Executive Forum," said Nick Komanecky, director of corporate relations for Cornell, "is to provide corporate executives and managers and Cornell faculty, students and administrators an opportunity to explore the important concept of innovation from operational and strategic points-of-view, share knowledge, exchange experiences and test ideas."
Presentations at the forum will be made by Lois S. Peters, of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, on her research on radical versus incremental innovation; Richard Shafer, director of executive education for the Cornell School of Industrial and Labor Relations, and Lee Dyer, professor of human resources management, on "Agile Organizations: Creating Innovative Cultures"; and Lynn Jelinski, director of the New York State Center for Advanced Technology at Cornell, on "Implications for Future Corporate-University Relationships."
The forum also will showcase student innovators. Students from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences will discuss their winning participation in a national food creation competition, and College of Engineering student champions will display their Formula SAE race car and discuss its innovative design.
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