He kept The Cornellian from becoming a memory

Austin Chang poses with copies of The Cornellian for 2003. He is a policy analysis and management major in the College of Human Ecology from Niskayuna, N.Y. Charles Harrington/University Photography

By Susan Lang

As Cornell's graduates disperse to the far corners of the earth, many will tote a copy of the yearbook, The Cornellian, to recapture their fading Ivy League memories in years to come. If it weren't for senior Austin Chang, though, there might not have been a traditional yearbook celebrating this year's class.

When Chang helped troubleshoot some computer problems for friends working on the yearbook last year, the tome was in crisis. The yearbook's 40-person staff had dwindled to just a handful and was desperately in need of some additional leadership.

Chang dove in to plug a few holes, and he quickly rose to the top, becoming the co-editor-in-chief, co-business manager and fulfilling other duties. For a token stipend that came out to less than a dollar an hour, Chang put in 20 to 60 hours a week (and averaged about 35), to keep the 584-page book on track.

"Austin brought the yearbook back from the brink," said Robert Venables, a senior lecturer with the American Indian Program and the yearbook's faculty adviser. "I really don't know what would have happened if he had not stepped in."

As co-editor-in-chief, Chang learned to negotiate with printers, publishers, The Cornellian's board of directors and the university; collect more than 700 photos and 2,000 portraits of seniors; collect, write or edit some 200 articles; design and proof almost 600 pages; solicit ads; account for every penny of the $150,000 budget; and perform miscellaneous tasks, such as moving eight tons of books that were deemed a fire hazard.

"It has certainly been a trying experience, like having your own business," said Chang, who also made time to work as a research assistant on a project compiling Medicaid fee structures for obstetrical services and to help launch MUSE, a nonprofit arts education program for elementary schools. He also has been a teaching assistant this semester for the course Mentoring in Leadership.

After spending this summer in Ithaca getting next year's yearbook on its way, Chang hopes to land a job in the healthcare industry en route to graduate school, perhaps for a master's in health services administration. While he leaves the 2003 Cornellian as his legacy to his alma mater, he said he will take with him, wherever he goes, the mission he's internalized from the College of Human Ecology: "That is, no matter what situation I am working in, to concentrate on serving the human condition."