ITHACA, N.Y. -- This fall, the Cornell Tradition is celebrating 20 years of rewarding excellence in undergraduate service, work and scholarship.

Cornell University's alumni-supported recognition program awards 600 fellowships each year to undergraduate students based on their work experience, campus and/or community service, leadership and academic achievement. In 2000, the program was recognized as a Daily Point of Light by President George W. Bush's Points of Light Foundation.

The Tradition's 20th anniversary celebration will be a yearlong series of events. Cornell President Emeritus Frank H.T. Rhodes, who announced the program at its inception in 1982, will speak to Tradition donors, friends, alumni and fellows Sept. 21 in the historic Hudson Theater of Manhattan's Millennium Broadway Hotel. For those unable to attend the dinner in New York, smaller and more informal events are being planned in cities across the United States throughout the academic year.

The principal event of the yearlong anniversary celebration will be the annual Cornell Tradition Convocation in March 2003.

When the university was founded in 1865, Ezra Cornell set forth a vision that all students who were willing to work hard, earn good grades and dedicate themselves to campus and community service would find a place at Cornell regardless of their financial situation.

The Cornell Tradition is a contemporary expression of that vision, says Tradition Director Susan Hitchcock. Established in 1982 through an anonymous gift of $7 million, the Tradition's primary purpose is to maintain Cornell's accessibility to all students, affirming the notion that a diversified student body of highly motivated individuals from a broad spectrum of social, economic, racial and cultural backgrounds creates the ideal learning environment.

The current 600 Tradition Fellows represent all seven of Cornell's undergraduate colleges and reflect broad geographic, ethnic and racial diversity. Each year, the Tradition awards up to $4,000 in loan replacement to undergraduates who complete minimum service, work and GPA requirements.In addition to helping Cornell remain competitive for the most promising students, the Tradition encourages students to assume greater responsibility in meeting educational costs through participation in work. Each year, Tradition Fellows, collectively, complete over 112,000 hours of paid work at jobs both on and off campus.

The Community Action Fellows program, a special initiative just for Tradition Fellows, allows students to fulfill their Tradition work requirement by interning at local nonprofit agencies. Fellows' service is provided at no cost to the agencies, with Tradition paying their wages in full. The program also provides financial resources to all fellows for career-related summer employment and internships. These internships have enabled fellows to contribute to communities around the globe. Tradition alumni have credited the program's work and internship opportunities as being integral in helping them land career-related jobs after graduation -- a definite benefit in the current job market.

According to Tradition alumna Susan Stevens Boucher '85: "The Cornell Tradition has had an indelible impact on my career. My summer internship gave me real work experience that helped me better understand my career options. I gained valuable contacts, and I developed a portfolio and hands-on experience that had a direct bearing on my ability to land my first 'real' job. I have always been very pleased with my career progress and feel the Cornell Tradition got me off on the right foot and with a head start over many other graduates."

Dedication to community service is also a common value among Cornell Tradition Fellows. During the 2002-03 year, it is estimated that fellows will complete nearly 75,000 hours of service to the Cornell and Ithaca communities. Many alumni report that by requiring service during the college years and by reducing the level of their indebtedness upon graduation, the Tradition has encouraged them to pursue jobs in service- and humanitarian-related fields despite typically lower salaries. Even so, Tradition alumni give back to Cornell at higher rates than most Cornell graduates.

For more information on any of the 20th anniversary events or about the Cornell Tradition, contact the program's office at 107 Day Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-2801 or call (607) 255-8595. The program's web site can be accessed at http://www.commitment.cornell.edu .

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