The Ithaca campus now has a billion reasons to pause and enjoy the early successes of the Far Above … campaign, having sailed past that fund-raising milestone just recently with a flurry of gifts to the humanities and social sciences.

First, let's put that number -- 1 billion -- in perspective. If you started counting seconds from the moment a child was born, he or she would have enough time to grow up, graduate from Cornell and work for nine years before you hit a billion.

It is an extraordinary sum. What is more exceptional, though, is the incredible expression of faith in Cornell that is embedded in each gift. President David Skorton acknowledged as much in his State of the University Address: "We will uphold your confidence," he said. "We will make you proud to invest in Cornell."

He spoke of campaign gifts as investments, not only in Cornell, but in what Cornell can do.

The donors who have placed their faith in this institution might have done something else with their money, including giving to another, worthy nonprofit organization. They chose to put it to work here.

The common thread is a shared belief, maybe even expectation, that Cornell will take these resources and do amazing things for the world outside its gates, chiefly through the toil, talent, creativity and passion of its faculty and students.

Washington Monthly magazine recently released its rankings of colleges and universities based on how much they do to serve the public good. Cornell placed seventh among national universities, up from eighth last year, and leading the Ivies by a wide margin.

That is one benchmark among many that says Cornell is a sound investment -- especially for those wanting to build a brighter future for the world.

Looking ahead, there is still much to do for Far Above ... The Campaign for Cornell -- including securing more than $2 billion in additional gifts and commitments. It remains a bold goal, but like mountain climbers, we can take inspiration by pausing to marvel at how far we've come.

Bryce T. Hoffman is a writer for Cornell's Alumni Affairs and Development.