Provided

Cornell President Emeritus Frank H.T. Rhodes, left, was the guest of honor at a Nov. 19 reception and fund-raising kickoff hosted by trustee Miguel Antonio Ferrer '59, MBA '61. The dinner was held at the Bankers Club in San Juan, Puerto Rico with members of the Cornell Club of Puerto Rico and their guests.

Cornell President Emeritus Frank H.T. Rhodes was the guest of honor at an alumni fund-raising dinner Nov. 19 in Puerto Rico, hosted by alumnus and trustee Miguel Antonio Ferrer '59, MBA '61.

Members of the Cornell Club of Puerto Rico and their guests attended the reception at the Bankers Club in San Juan. The event also marked the launch of a fund-raising campaign spearheaded by Ferrer, with the goal of contributing $1 million toward scholarship programs for Puerto Rican students.

Ferrer himself has pledged to give $500,000 through matching gifts. More than $200,000 had already been raised prior to the event, according to officials.

The event follows the universitywide campaign launch on Oct. 26. Cornell, including its Weill Cornell Medical College, aims to raise $4 billion in five years for student aid programs, facilities and faculty.

In addition to hearing from Club President Carlos A. Falcon '95 and Rhodes, dinner guests listened to stories from past scholarship recipients. Among them was Ricardo Rivera Cardona '93, now secretary of the Puerto Rican Department of Economic Development and Commerce. One of four boys growing up in Puerto Rico who often came home to an empty refrigerator, Rivera testified, "I have to pinch myself" when he considers his life today -- and what his Cornell scholarship did for him.

The Cornell Club of Puerto Rico, comprising about 440 Cornell alumni, is committed to increasing the presence of Puerto Rican students at Cornell, in part by supporting aid programs for both undergraduate and graduate students.

Since its inception in 1987, the club has assisted 16 students with awards totaling $32,546.