Cornell has received more than a half-million dollars from the ExxonMobil Foundation through its Educational Matching Gift Program.

On May 22, Sherri Stuewer '73, M.S. '75, vice president for safety, health and environment at ExxonMobil Corp., visited campus to deliver a check for $592,216 to Cornell President David Skorton. Also present for the brief ceremony were Charlie Phlegar, Cornell vice president for alumni affairs and development, and Abby Westervelt, director of corporate and foundation relations in the College of Engineering.

"The matching gift program represents an exemplary commitment to encouraging and building upon the contributions of employees and retirees to Cornell," Westervelt said.

The amount makes Cornell No. 5 out of 930 colleges and universities that received gifts from the ExxonMobil Foundation this year. The gift program allows employees, retirees and surviving spouses and directors of the company to make donations to institutions of higher education with which they are affiliated. The foundation matches gifts on a three-to-one basis for donations of up to $7,500 to colleges and universities.

Along with Cornell, various institutions received a total of $36 million in such gifts from ExxonMobil and its employees this year.