Ezra: Icon of cool ideas
Whatever else you can say about Ezra Cornell, his ideas endure. He aimed high for his namesake university, transcending the limitations of his meager schooling. (Dec. 7, 2007)

Evolutionary theory takes down a Cornell VP
Controversy over Darwinian theory results in the ouster of a Cornell vice president in the late 1800s. (Nov. 29, 2007)

Cornell's first president expands on the founder's vision
In the months before his inauguration, Andrew Dickson White set out to assemble a top faculty for Cornell University. (Nov. 16, 2007)

The founder's statue is dedicated
Ezra Cornell's statue on the Arts Quad was dedicated June 12, 1919, during an observance of the university's semicentennial. (Nov. 9, 2007)

Repurposing a forgotten Cornell musuem
The former University Museum in McGraw Hall now houses the Anthropology Department Collections. (Nov. 2, 2007)

The law comes to Cornell
Inevitably, Ezra Cornell's "Any person ... any study" extended to law education. Andrew D. White, the university's first president, proposed a school of law in 1866. (Oct. 26, 2007)

Legacy provides theme for trustee meetings
With the Cornell Board of Trustees and University Council on campus Oct. 18-20 for their annual meeting, a variety of events for their members illustrate the persistence of Ezra Cornell's guiding vision. (Oct. 18, 2007)

A house fit for a president
Cornell's first president, Andrew Dickson White, builds an esthetically pleasing presidential mansion. (Oct. 11, 2007)

Faculty 'cooks' and home economics
The School of Human Ecology began as a department in the agriculture college in 1907. It came into its own in 1919, and 50 years later was renamed the College of Human Ecology. (Oct. 5, 2007)

One for the books
The University Library, now known as Uris Library, opened in 1891 -- a full 23 years after classes began -- as Cornell's first dedicated library. (Sept. 27, 2007)

Medical education
Cornell's first president, Andrew D. White, and his successors, saw medicine as a crucial university offering, and courses in the medical sciences were first offered in 1878. (Sept. 20, 2007)

Weathering storms of controversy
Cornell University's lack of church affiliation made it suspect in some quarters. Ezra Cornell's young university, said its critics, was a godless cesspool of vice. (Sept. 13, 2007)

Ezra and the Arts Quad
Cornell's Arts Quad is the product of first president Andrew D. White's tastes. (Sept. 7, 2007)

Walking the walk
Ezra Cornell demonstrated his belief in practical higher education for women by enrolling his daughter, Mary Emily, at the newly founded Vassar College in 1866. (Aug. 30, 2007)

A great seal, a timeless maxim
The now-legendary motto 'I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study' first appeared on the university's Great Seal. (Aug. 21, 2007)

The founder rolls up his sleeves
Ezra Cornell was deeply involved in the construction of the new campus and was known to hover over workers, to whom he offered 'sharp admonishments.' (Aug. 16, 2007)

University inauguration day, Oct. 7, 1868
The period from April 1865 to October 1868 was spent constructing Morrill Hall, White Hall and Cascadilla Place, recruiting faculty and buying equipment. On Oct. 7, 1868, the university opened. (June 12, 2007)

The Cornell Public Library, 1866
In 1863, Ezra Cornell purchased a lot on Tioga Street for a library that contained commercial space to make it self-supporting. The Cornell Library was incorporated April 5, 1864, and opened Dec. 20, 1866. (May 31, 2007)

Cornell, the university, is born, at last
Although Andrew Dickson White introduced a bill into the New York State Senate in 1865 to establish Cornell University and its reception was positive, its passage was by no means a sure thing. (May 24, 2007)

Fostering a vision, 1865
In early 1865, Ezra Cornell, as a wealthy senator in the New York Legislature, continued to lay the foundation for founding a new institution of higher learning. (May 17, 2007)

A propitious meeting with Andrew Dickson White
While serving in the New York State Senate, Ezra Cornell met Andrew Dickson White of Syracuse. At the time, Cornell was the oldest member of the Senate and White the youngest. (May 10, 2007)

Ezra Cornell ponders his fortune, 1863-64
The creation of Western Union had made Ezra Cornell a wealthy man. His philanthropies were numerous, but he always believed that the greatest good was education. (May 3, 2007)

Ezra Cornell and the Civil War 1861-62
Ezra Cornell was active in the war effort in Ithaca. While taking medical supplies Washington, D.C., he even found himself at the first battle of Bull Run. (April 26, 2007)

Cornell, the political man, 1850s-'60s
Ezra Cornell became increasingly political, aligning himself with the new anti-slavery party, the Republicans. He campaigned for Lincoln and was elected to the New York State Legislature. (April 19, 2007)

Toward a new agriculture, 1858-1862
Although business was looking up, Ezra Cornell still felt financially insecure during this period. His interest in farm machinery led to his investment in the Albany Agricultural Works and the Steam Agricultural Co. (April 11, 2007)

A new home and new vocation
Early in 1857, Ezra Cornell purchased the 300-acre DeWitt farm (the future site of the university). Naming it Forest Park, he developed a model farm and raised shorthorn cattle. (April 4, 2007)

Life Brightens for Ezra Cornell in 1854-55
Although the family at home in Ithaca was suffering for a lack of funds, Ezra Cornell started to prosper these years, though not with much cash flow. (March 29, 2007)

Tooth woes and tugs from home
Ezra Cornell spent 1853-54 nearly destitute and away from home, suffering not only financially but physically and emotionally. (March 21, 2007)

Despair in the telegraph business
The year 1852 was dismal for Ezra Cornell -- he rarely made it home, could not support his family and made very little money. (March 14, 2007)

Chaos in the budding telegraph business
In the late 1840s, Ezra Cornell was discouraged working in the budding telegraph industry. He was rarely home and the business was chaotic. (March 8, 2007)

Roots of the telegraph
The Ezra Files looks at how Ezra Cornell got involved in the telegraph industry. (March 1, 2007)

Cornell's early political years
Ezra Cornell became increasingly politically active as well as interested in agriculture in the 1830s and 1840s. (Feb. 22, 2007)

Trying to make a decent living
Life was tough in the 1830s, and Ezra Cornell, after being laid off, tried several ventures to make a living. (Feb. 16, 2007)

A young man finds work, a wife and a Nook
Ezra Cornell came to Ithaca in 1828 and found work as a carpenter and mechanic. In 1831 he made a 'matrimonial connection' with Mary Ann Wood. (Feb. 7, 2007)

A carpenter and his first book
Following the Panic of 1819, Elijah Cornell moved his family to the De Ruyter Quaker community, where Ezra learned carpentry skills. (Feb. 1, 2007)

A family ever on the move
This article in The Ezra Files series looks at Ezra Cornell's early life, 1807-1818. (Jan. 24, 2007)

Introducing The Ezra Files: Happy Birthday, Ezra
The Cornell Chronicle has launched a weekly column, The Ezra Files, celebrating the 200th anniversary of Ezra Cornell's birth. (Jan. 18, 2007)