The inaugural Robert and Nancy McKersie Labor Day Lecture was given by ILR Dean Alexander Colvin, Ph.D. ’99, on Sept. 4 on the Cornell campus.

The newest annual event on the ILR School’s calendar, the lecture honors the legacy of the late Robert B. McKersie and was made possible by a generous gift from Bob and his wife, Nancy.

“Through the event, we were able to celebrate the legacy of our great former Dean Robert McKersie and reflect on the lessons we can take from his ideas and scholarship,” Colvin said. “Bob was one of the leading thinkers in the field of industrial relations. Over some 60 years, he contributed foundational ideas that shape how we think about labor relations and, more generally, about bargaining and negotiations.”

The event began with reflections from Professor Bob Smith, who was part of a new generation of faculty hired by McKersie during his tenure as dean from 1971 to 1979. The reflections continued when McKersie’s son, Will, addressed the audience. The younger McKersie spoke of the importance of relationships and how that was central, not only in his father’s scholarship, but in the welcoming home his mother, Nancy, helped create on Fall Creek Drive.

Colvin's lecture, “McKersie on Labor at America’s 250th,” discussed the former dean's most influential works and his lasting legacy in the field of labor relations. 

Read the whole story on the ILR website.
Julie Greco is the communications director for the School of Industrial and Labor Relations.