Business college leaders react to historic gift

H. Fisk Johnson ’79, M.Eng. ’80, M.S. ’82, MBA ’84, Ph.D. ’86, and SC Johnson have committed $150 million for the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, which comprises the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, the School of Hotel Administration, and the Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management. It is the largest single gift to Cornell’s Ithaca campus and the second largest gift to name a U.S. business school.

Reaction from the Cornell community:

“This is an exciting and timely gift for Cornell. It confirms the validity of the college of business and of the benefits it offers to all students, graduate and undergraduate. We are grateful to Fisk Johnson and SC Johnson for their leadership.”

Andrew H. Tisch ’71, trustee emeritus and chair of the
Cornell SC Johnson College of Business Board of Visitors

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“Just the right gift, at just the right time, from just the right family. We are delighted to be the first to help match this magnificent challenge in the name of our brother Peter, who joined with me in the naming of the Dyson School and two of whose children are Cornellians.”

John S. Dyson ’65, trustee emeritus and
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Advisory Council member

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“We are so fortunate to have alumni like Fisk Johnson and his family provide such a transformational gift. This gift will enable the School of Hotel Administration to further advance our mission as the premier world leader in hospitality education.”

Kate Walsh, MPS ’90, interim dean and E.M. Statler Professor,
School of Hotel Administration

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“This historic gift paves the way for a new era in business education at Cornell. These resources will enable us to attract and develop top faculty, enhance scholarship support for students and continue investing in our innovative curriculum and MBA programming. We are very grateful to Fisk Johnson and SC Johnson for this remarkable support.”

Mark Nelson, the Anne and Elmer Lindseth Dean,
Samuel Curtis Johnson Graduate School of Management

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“On behalf of the Dyson School Faculty, staff and students, I want to share our heartfelt gratitude for the generous gift made by Fisk Johnson and SC Johnson. Our faculty and students will benefit significantly from the enhanced support and resources provided. We all look forward to continuing to advance Cornell University’s mission to invest in the priority areas of food and agriculture, resources so critical to the state of New York and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.”

Ed McLaughlin, interim David J. Nolan Dean,
Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management

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“This tremendous gift to the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business will result in significant new resources for the Dyson School and its students. Establishing an endowment of this size is an important measure of support that will help ensure a strong future for the Dyson School and the other two schools within the college.”

Kathryn J. Boor, the Ronald P. Lynch Dean
of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

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“As a businessperson and Cornell alumna, I am grateful to Fisk and his family for their generous gift, which will enable the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business to be at the forefront of both academics and of business practices.”

Irene Blecker Rosenfeld ’75, M.S. ’77, Ph.D. ’80,
trustee emerita and presidential councillor

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“This gift expresses confidence in our recently formed college of business and will galvanize the Cornell community around this world-class institution - the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. On behalf of the Dyson Advisory Council, we express our sincere gratitude to Fisk Johnson and SC Johnson for this generous gift. The future looks bright for Cornell Business!”

Dan Dmochowski ’86, chair, Dyson School Advisory Council

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“I am thrilled and incredibly grateful for this historic gift from Fisk Johnson and SC Johnson. This gift firmly validates the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business’ place among the top-ranked business schools in the world, and will enable Dyson, Hotel, and Johnson to continue our pursuit of excellence in business education in new and exciting ways.”

Jennifer Davis ’99, vice chair, Dyson School Advisory Council

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“Such an extraordinary time for business education at Cornell. I see this visionary generosity from Fisk Johnson and the Johnson family as creating exciting opportunities within the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business for students and faculty. As a Hotelie myself, and the parent of a current Hotelie, I confess that I’m focused on the Hotel School. I believe this gift will allow the SHA to continue as the global leader in hospitality education, and I look forward with excitement to the future of the Hotel School, the Dyson School, and the Johnson School, all as part of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business.”

Suzanne Mellen ’76, School of Hotel Administration
Dean’s Advisory Board member

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“I feel a kinship with the Johnson family, since the Mariani family is also a multigenerational Cornell family with deep roots at the university, so I was especially delighted with Fisk Johnson’s transformative generosity. I am also a Hotelie, and I believe the Johnson’s family gift is going to offer to the Hotel School the ability to strengthen its faculty, continue to attract outstanding students and allow for innovation that will keep the School of Hotel Administration as the premier hospitality program in the world in ways that we could have never imagined.”

Virginia Mariani-Kitt ’82, School of Hotel Administration
Dean’s Advisory Board member

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“Fisk Johnson and the Johnson family, through this timely and significant gift, have expressed support for every part of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business. I especially appreciate that the School of Hotel Administration, as an integral part of the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, will receive tangible benefits that the school might not otherwise have obtained — benefits that will strengthen the students’ experiences and allow the SHA to continue its preeminent position in worldwide hospitality education. This gift is a positive message in changing times for the Hotel School, Dyson and Johnson.”

Brad Stone ’77, School of Hotel Administration Dean’s Advisory Board member

Media Contact

John Carberry