A devoted alumnus and supporter of the Cornell faculty, Andrew Tisch '71 has been named co-chair of Cornell's comprehensive campaign as it continues through the university's sesquicentennial in 2015.

Vice chairman of the Cornell Board of Trustees and a member of its Executive Committee, Tisch succeeds Jan Rock Zubrow '77, who has served as campaign co-chair since 2006 and has recently been named chair of the board's Executive Committee. Tisch will co-lead the campaign with Stephen Ashley '62, MBA '64, and Robert Appel '53, who heads the Weill Cornell Medical College campaign.

"I am delighted to have Andrew Tisch assume a leadership position with Cornell's campaign," said Cornell President David Skorton. "Andrew's devotion to and enthusiasm for Cornell, coupled with his creativity and innate skill as a communicator and a connector of people, make him an ideal candidate for this role. I also want to recognize Jan Rock Zubrow's extraordinary leadership of the effort over the last several years. She has been tireless in reaching out to Cornellians to share our priorities and enlist support for them. We could not have achieved our current level of success without her."

Tisch said the campaign has been "very successful" thus far. He looks forward to working with the campaign's trustee leadership, as well as the "top-notch" staff led by Charlie Phlegar, Cornell's vice president for alumni affairs and development.

"My goal is not to make radical changes on what's working already, but rather to take and build on the success that we've had thus far," Tisch said.

A longtime and passionate supporter of Cornell's faculty, Tisch and his family have made prominent gifts to Cornell that have enhanced the university's ability to attract and retain the best faculty.

In 2008, he and his wife, journalist and educator Ann Rubenstein Tisch, made a $35 million gift to create the Tisch University Professorships, which help recruit and retain talented young faculty in areas of strategic academic importance.

In 2002, Tisch and his brother, James Tisch '75, established the Tisch Distinguished University Professorship, which is awarded to a senior faculty member who has demonstrated excellence in teaching and research and is nearing retirement, allowing the university to retain that person's talents while opening opportunities for new faculty members to be hired.

Beyond their support of the faculty, the Tisch family also has created the Ann and Andrew Tisch Scholarship, which gives preference to women undergraduates with financial need, as well as the Andrew H. and Ann R. Tisch Scholarship Fund in the School of Hotel Administration.

Tisch has been a member of the board of trustees since 2003 and has served on the board's committees on board membership (as chair), academic affairs, student life, finance and government relations. He has also served as vice chair of the university' Campaign Cabinet since 2006. He is a longtime member of the School of Hotel Administration's Dean's Advisory Board and is active with the Class of 1971.

In addition to his financial support over the years, Tisch also regularly hosts "power breakfasts" for Cornell at the Loews Regency Hotel in New York City. The events feature Cornell administrators and faculty in discussions about important Cornell initiatives, helping to raise awareness and support.

Outside of Cornell, Tisch is involved in numerous other organizations in New York City, where he resides. He is co-chairman of Loews Corp. and chairman of the company's executive committee. Prior to that, he served as chairman and CEO of Lorillard Inc. and as president of Bulova Watch Co. and Bulova Corp.