Cornell University today (Oct. 9) appointed the principal officers for eCornell, the university's new distance learning subsidiary, according to an announcement by Peter C. Meinig, chairman of the board of directors of eCornell. Meinig also is a trustee of the university and chairman of its Executive Committee.

Francis P. Pandolfi was named president and chief executive officer (CEO) of eCornell, Meinig said. Mary J. Sansalone was named vice president and chief academic officer (CAO).

Four weeks ago, the Executive Committee of the Cornell Board of Trustees approved the creation of the university-owned and -financed corporation for the purpose of producing, marketing and delivering nondegree educational programs developed in conjunction with the university's schools and colleges.

"With experienced top leadership drawn from the private sector and the academic community, eCornell will be able to take advantage of the private sector's ability to move rapidly, attract a skilled management team and create strategic partnerships while engaging Cornell's top-ranked faculty to produce first-class programs," Meinig said.

Pandolfi has extensive management experience in the private sector, the nonprofit world and the federal government. Over the past decade, he was president and CEO of Times Mirror Magazines, a leading magazine publishing company, and served as the first-ever chief operating officer (COO) of the U.S. Forest Service.

"It is a privilege to have the opportunity to work with Cornell University as it launches its distance learning subsidiary," Pandolfi said. "eCornell has tremendous potential to be a leader in online education because of the quality and reputation of its academic programs combined with the use of its cutting-edge technology."

Pandolfi has served on numerous industry boards, including the Magazine Publishers of America, of which he was vice chairman; the Direct Marketing Association, of which he was a member of the executive committee; and the Advertising Council. He was chairman of the board of trustees of the National Environmental Education and Training Foundation.

He also has served on the boards of the National Audubon Society, the American Museum of Natural History's Center for Biodiversity and Conservation, Trout Unlimited, the National Recreation Foundation and the Cornell Laboratory of Ornithology. He has received numerous awards for his work in environmental affairs. Pandolfi graduated from Princeton University in 1965 and the Harvard Business School in 1967.

Mary Sansalone, vice provost of academic programs and institutional initiatives at Cornell, spearheaded the development of the academic vision and operational plan for eCornell. A professor of structural engineering at Cornell since 1988, she earned her Ph.D. in structural engineering from Cornell in 1986 and a master's degree in public administration from the Kennedy School at Harvard University in 1999. She is internationally known for her research on the use of stress waves for nondestructive evaluation of materials and as the inventor of the impact-echo method for detecting flaws in structures.

She is the author of more than 70 research papers and recipient of numerous research awards. Widely recognized as an innovative and inspirational teacher, Sansalone was named the 1992 U.S. Professor of the Year by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education and the Carnegie Foundation.

eCornell will maintain initial offices in Ithaca and New York City. Its first distance learning programs will be offered starting in the fall of 2001.