Lynn ’65 and Jules ’63 Kroll has received Cornell Hillel's 2014 Tanner Prize, awarded annually to an individual, couple, family or other entity to recognize longtime contributions to the Jewish people and to Cornell University. Harold Tanner '52, Cornell Board of Trustees chairman emeritus, presented the prize June 13 in New York City.

“The selection of Jules and Lynn Kroll for the Cornell Hillel Tanner Prize matches a visionary award with visionary leaders of both Cornell and the Jewish community,” said Cornell President David Skorton. “The Krolls’ involvement with higher education at Cornell and elsewhere, as well as with Cornell Hillel and a myriad of Jewish organizations, has touched countless Cornell students and others around the world.”

As a student, Lynn Korda Kroll participated in Cornell United Religious Work's program Cornell in Honduras, which set the tone for much of her post-Cornell work in minority economic development, mental health, and in the theater and literary worlds. In addition to extensive volunteer service, she has held leadership positions for the Georgetown University Board of Regents, Cornell Hillel, UJA-Federation of New York, American Jewish Committee, New York City Global Partners and the Foundation for Jewish Culture, among others.

Jules Kroll founded Kroll Inc., a professional services firm dedicated to mitigating risk, which was acquired by Marsh & McLennan Companies for $1.9 billion in 2004. He is chairman of K2 Intelligence and Kroll Bond Ratings. He was named Cornell Entrepreneur of the Year in 2003, received the U.S. Entrepreneurial Award by British American Business Inc. in 2002, and won Georgetown University’s John Carroll Award in 2009. He chairs the John Jay College of Criminal Justice Foundation and is a former member of the Board of Regents of Georgetown University and Board of Trustees of Cornell.

The Krolls endowed the Lynn and Jules Kroll Jewish Documentary Film Fund and the Kroll Travel Award through the Program of Jewish Studies, which supports Cornell students’ summer travel and study in Israel. They have funded the renovation of the Yudowitz Center for Jewish Life offices, created its video library and established an endowment at Cornell Hillel to fund micro-grants for student-created initiatives.

“Jules and Lynn Kroll exemplify what the Tanner Prize was created to celebrate. They are leaders in numerous realms as Cornellians and in Jewish life. The Tanner Prize stands for the proposition that commitment to our alma mater and deep involvement in the Jewish community are mutually reinforcing. The Krolls are proof of that,” said Seth ‘Yossi’ Siegel ’74, J.D. ’78, founder of the Tanner Prize and chair of the event.

Said the Krolls: “There are many tributaries that contribute to make a river. So too, there are many roads Jewish journeys can take. We hope that the Jewish people and the Jewish enterprise will always be composed of many individual paths and journeys that will create a cohesive whole. Hillel is a critical part of the composition. We are delighted to receive this honor named after a wonderful leader of the entire Jewish community.”