Jixin Yang, 6, checks out some insects on display with her mother, Liyan Dai, a visiting scholar at the Cornell Institute for China Economic Research, during the Fall Employee Celebration in Barton Hall.

Football triumph, barbecue dinner highlight Employee Celebration

Approximately 3,500 Cornell employees, retirees and their families attended Cornell’s football game against Brown and took part in several other activities, as part of the annual Fall Employee Celebration, Oct. 26.

Volunteers help serve meals in Barton Hall during the Fall Employee Celebration.

For Big Red football fans, the day struck a high note: Nickolas Null ’20 made a 39-yard field goal from with 9 seconds left to play, giving Cornell a 37-35 victory over the visiting Bears.

Women's hockey also came through with a 3-0 win over Robert Morris on Saturday afternoon.

A near-record number of attendees also enjoyed the annual barbecue chicken and pasta, created by Cornell Catering and served in Barton Hall by staff, students, retirees and senior administrators.

Family activities included juggling with the Cornell Juggling Club; squash painting; indoor cornhole games; fire safety tips from Cornell’s Environmental Health and Safety staff; and dance performances by the African Dance Repertoire, BreakFree Hip Hop and Cornell Bhangra.

Cheryl McGraw, employee events manager in the Division of Human Resources, coordinated the event.

Sonja Kelly enjoys the women’s hockey game with her two boys, Mason and Ian, both 10, as part of the Fall Employee Celebration Oct. 26.

“I would like to thank Nancy Pagliaro and Kelly Chan who for years have volunteered to help plan and manage this event,” McGraw said. “They are my right (and left) arms, following up on planning details and coordinating volunteers on the day of the event. They are there at their posts every year, without fail.

“Big thanks, also, to Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity; they helped with set up, serving and cleanup,” McGraw said.

Employee Celebration is sponsored by Human Resources, Facilities and Campus Services, Cornell Catering, Athletics and Physical Education, Utz and PepsiCo.

Media Contact

Abby Butler