What do Robert S. Harrison ’76, former chair of the Cornell University Board of Trustees, and a handful of recent alumni have in common? Answer: a track record of volunteer service to their alma mater.

“Cornell does an outstanding job of recognizing students’ and graduates’ achievements,” says Julie Vultaggio ’02. “This recognition often comes in the form of longer-term or lifetime service awards, such as the William “Bill” Vanneman ’31 Outstanding Class Leader Award.”

Early in 2022, the Student and Young Alumni committee of the Cornell Association of Class Officers surfaced the idea of honoring recent alumni volunteers (those who’ve graduated within the past ten years). Julie is chair of this committee.

“We realized there was no analog (to the Vanneman Award) for recent graduates,” Julie explains. “We wanted a way to both acknowledge their work and encourage continued service.”

Thus, the Robert S. Harrison ’76 Recent Alumni Volunteer Awards were born—celebrating the service of a new generation of alumni volunteers and honoring Harrison’s long-standing commitment to Cornell. Harrison served as a student trustee from 1975 to 1976, launching what would become nearly five decades of service to the university.

Meet the Robert S. Harrison ’76 Recent Alumni Volunteer Award winners at alumni.cornell.edu.