President-elect lauds 'unmatched' excellence at Cornell

Elizabeth Garrett
Robert Barker/University Photography
Elizabeth Garrett addresses a luncheon crowd of Cornell students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni Sept. 30 at the Law School for the new president-elect.
Svante Myrick, Elizabeth Garrett and Joel Malina
Robert Barker/University Photography
Elizabeth Garrett chats with Ithaca Mayor Svante Myrick '09 and Vice President of University Relations Joel Malina at the welcome luncheon.

Elizabeth Garrett received a warm welcome on her first day as Cornell’s 13th president-elect at a luncheon attended by students, faculty, trustees, staff and alumni, who gathered Sept. 30 on the lawn of the Law School.

“I am excited to lead this superb institution into its next 150 years … to ensure that it continues in its long tradition of excellence and achieves even greater heights,” Garrett said.

The provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at the University of Southern California (USC) said she appreciated “the search committee’s willingness to discuss with me the challenges and opportunities that face this great institution as we move forward on such a tremendous foundation of excellence and public commitment.”

Among the factors that attracted her to Ithaca, she said, were its “formal commitment to public service” and that “Cornell is committed to academic excellence. The breadth of that excellence is unmatched anywhere in higher education.”

She mentioned that her first paper as an assistant professor of law at the University of Chicago – “so you know I can take the cold,” Garrett said – was published in the Cornell Law Review.

“Cornell has meant a great deal to me as a very formative part of my life as an academic,” she said.

Garrett and her husband, Andrei Marmor, are “looking forward to hiking and learning more about this beautiful place,” she said. They both will be on the faculty of the Law School and the College of Arts and Sciences.

She also sported Cornell colors at the event. “I told the trustees earlier today that I was preparing for today. I have now discovered the Cornell Store and purchased my first of what I hope is many scarves.”

Frank Rhodes, Elizabeth Garrett, David Skorton and Jeff Lehman
Robert Barker/University Photography
Cornell presidents past, present and future, from left: Frank H.T. Rhodes, Elizabeth Garrett, David Skorton and Jeffrey Lehman '77.

President David Skorton also welcomed Garrett “to our Cornell family.”

“You are joining a very unique academic community,” he said. “This is a community, Beth, that will welcome your leadership; it’s a community that will challenge your ideas, and it will allow you to grow as a leader and become more effective as time goes on.”

Robert Harrison ’76, chairman of the board of trustees, introduced Garrett at the luncheon and outlined “just a few of the specific reasons why Beth impressed us so thoroughly. First, she has managed an organization of comparable complexity to Cornell.” As USC’s second-ranking officer, she oversees “18 schools and colleges, including an academic medical center, as well as overseeing student affairs, libraries, research and information technology.”

“Second,” he continued, “Beth has helped enhance the stature of USC by leading interdisciplinary initiatives and building organizational bridges. As Cornell continues to broaden its own disciplinary and geographic boundaries, this experience will prove invaluable.”

Third, he said, “Beth has demonstrated commitment to public service that is completely consistent with our mission at Cornell.”

He also thanked the search committee. “You have given Cornell an incredible 150th birthday gift,” he said.

“Among a truly world-class group of people, Beth Garrett emerged as a clear leader – someone who possesses all of the experiences and attributes we had hoped for, and so much more,” said Jan Rock Zubrow ’77, chairman of the Executive Committee of the board and the Presidential Search Committee. Through the search process, she said, “I have learned how deeply the Cornell community cares about this institution.”

Student trustee Ross Gitlin ’15, who served on the search committee, said, “She’s a natural fit for the school, and she is going to lead the institution extremely well.”

“We had just some amazing candidates, candidates that I think 10 years ago wouldn’t have considered coming to Cornell,” said trustee Peter Nolan ’80, MBA ’82. “We had the truly crème de la crème of the academic world, globally, that wanted this job. There were no bad choices.”

Garrett, he said, is “an incredible leader, visionary and incredibly thoughtful as well. The academic reviews of her scholarly work were unprecedented and stunning. She was the unanimous decision by the committee. We only had to take one vote. It was clear.”

“She’s a natural salesperson; she knows her audience,” Nolan said. “I think she’s going to prove to be an effective administrator – I was really surprised how conversant she was with operating budgets and financial performance, particularly at the hospital. I think she will be embraced by the faculty in Ithaca and at Weill Cornell.”

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