Board actions include tuition rise, new B.A. and named professorship

At its meeting in New York City Jan. 22-24, the Cornell Board of Trustees unanimously approved a number of actions, primarily an increase in tuition and a package of budget cuts described by President David Skorton in his message to the campus community as protecting the university's "strength and character."

The board approved a 4 percent tuition increase for undergraduate students in Cornell's endowed colleges for 2009-10 -- the lowest endowed tuition percentage increase at the university since 1966. Tuition for undergraduate students in the university's statutory colleges will rise by 7.2 percent, reflecting comparable dollar increases in endowed and statutory-resident tuition, and establishing a contract nonresident tuition identical to the endowed. (See tuition tables.) Graduate research tuition will remain at the same levels as in 2008-09.

In addition, the board approved the creation of a bachelor of arts degree in statistical science in the Faculty of Computing and Information Science.

The trustees also approved the creation of the Burton M. Sack '61 Professorship in Food and Beverage Management in the School of Hotel Administration. Sack, who pledged $3 million to fund the professorship, got his first job at 13 washing dishes at Howard Johnson's. He worked his way up at the company from advertising assistant to senior vice president and developed the Ground Round restaurant chain.

In 2001 he established the Burton M. Sack Restaurant Education Endowment, which has supported the work of Alex Susskind, associate professor of food and beverage management and director for the Hotel School's concentration in hospitality facilities and operations. In 2003 he named the Sack Family Hospitality Suite in the Beck Center.

 

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Simeon Moss