NEW YORK, N.Y. -- New York state Sen. Michael Nozzolio (R-54th Dist.) will be honored by Cornell University's School of Industrial and Labor Relations when he is presented with the Jerome Alpern Distinguished Alumni Award Thursday, April 1, at a special ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel, 45 E. 45th St., New York City.

The annual award recognizes extraordinary service and support to the ILR School by alumni whose professions are primarily outside the field of industrial and labor relations. The ceremony, which is part of Celebration ILR 2004, will take place during dinner, which begins at 6:45 p.m., following a 5:45 p.m. reception.

Also to be honored at the event will be Gary B. Bettman, commissioner of the National Hockey League (NHL). Bettman will receive the ILR School's Judge William B. Groat Alumni Award. The award, named for a New York State Supreme Court justice who was instrumental in the founding of the ILR School and in drafting its charter, is presented annually to an alumnus who has demonstrated exceptional professional accomplishment in the field of industrial and labor relations and service to the ILR School.

Nozzolio, who lives in Seneca Falls, N.Y., earned a B.S. degree from Cornell's ILR School in 1973 and an M.S. in public administration and agricultural economics from Cornell in 1977. First elected to the State Senate in 1992 representing Seneca and Wayne counties and parts of Ontario, Monroe, Cayuga and Tompkins counties, Nozzolio began his sixth term of office in 2003. Prior to that, he served for 10 years in the New York State Assembly representing Cayuga, Seneca and Wayne counties of the 128th Assembly district.

He is currently chairman of the State Senate's Crime Victims, Crime and Correction Committee and co-chairman of the Senate Majority Task Force on Privacy Invasion. He serves on the Executive Committee of the Senate Majority Task Force on World Trade Center Recovery and is special adviser on security affairs in New York state.

His legislative accomplishments include tougher sentencing guidelines for violent criminals, an end to work release for dangerous felons, the passage of Megan's Law, the Sex

Offender Reform Act, the Domestic Violence Prevention and Family Protection Act and Jenna's Law, as well as the establishment of the Willard Drug Treatment Campus, the KidsPeace Seneca Woods Residential Center and the opening of a new 750 cell maximum security prison at the former Seneca Army Depot. He has served as chairman of the State Senate Elections Committee and pushed through New York's landmark Voter Registration Act of 1994, a measure that made registration possible at a host of public locations.

Nozzolio serves on the board of directors of the ILR School's Martin P. Catherwood Library and the Cornell Agriculture and Food Technology Park. In October 2002 at the dedication of the new wing of the Catherwood Library, he presented the school with a $50,000 grant from New York state to help support the library's collections. The senator, who as a student at Cornell was a research intern for Martin P. Catherwood, the library's namesake, said that the former professor of public administration and dean of the school inspired him to pursue a career in public life. Catherwood, who died in 1978, was a respected leader in New York state government as industrial commissioner under Gov. Nelson Rockefeller, among other posts.

Bettman, who grew up in Queens, N.Y., and now lives in Saddle River, N.J., began his tenure with the National Hockey League in February of 1993, after being elected unanimously as its first commissioner by the board of governors. Under his direction, the NHL has experienced a period of unprecedented development, most notably in the areas of expansion, broadcasting and marketing.

Before that position, Bettman served for 12 years with the National Basketball Association, attaining the position of senior vice president and general counsel. Prior to that, he was an associate of the New York law firm of Proskauer Rose Goetz & Mendelsohn.

Bettman, who earned a B.S. degree from the ILR School in 1974 and a law degree from New York University, is one of the ILR School's most dedicated leaders, an outstanding ambassador for the school and the parent of a current ILR student. He is a longtime member of the ILR Dean's Advisory Council and was chair of the council in 2000-02. He also has served on the ILR Alumni Association's board of directors and has hosted numerous school events, from board meetings to special dean's functions. He is on the ILR School's "top 10" list of frequently requested career panel participants and finds time to share his perspectives with alumni, students, faculty and friends on a regular basis. Additionally, he has been active on the Cornell University Council and is a member of the Cornell Alumni Association of New York City. Other Cornell involvements include service on the Athletics Advisory Council and the Jewish Studies Campaign.