Credit: Lindsay France/University Photography

A gift from Andrew ’71 and Ann Tisch to Cornell University and the American Technion Society has created an endowed professorship at the Joan & Irwin Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute at Cornell Tech. The Andrew H. and Ann R. Tisch Professorship will support the recruitment and retention of faculty who will drive the institute’s innovative academic, research, entrepreneurship and commercialization programs. The gift helps to boost Cornell Tech’s faculty – a fundraising priority for the campus as it continues to grow rapidly, with its six master’s degree programs and with more than 200 graduate students expected this fall.

“Ann and I are pleased to provide this professorship as an affirmation of the importance of the Jacobs Institute and the partnership between two great institutions,” said Andrew Tisch, referring to Cornell and the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology. “We look forward to great ideas emanating from the Roosevelt Island campus to benefit Cornell, the Technion and all people.”

The Tisch Professorship will further increase the visibility of the Jacobs Institute and Cornell Tech, “serving as a beacon to attract brilliant, out-of-the-box researchers,” said Adam Shwartz, director of the institute. “As one of the Jacobs Institute’s first endowed professorships, it will be held by an academic leader who shares our passion for pushing the boundaries of academia and making a difference.”

Dan Huttenlocher, vice provost and dean of Cornell Tech, looks forward to identifying an outstanding thought leader to fill the new position. “The Tisch Professorship will help us attract – in an increasingly competitive environment for faculty recruitment and retention – a trailblazer who will help shape the landscape of learning, research, experimentation and practice at the Jacobs Institute,” he said. “The Tisches’ gift is especially important in building outstanding faculty who are both leading academics and passionate about using digital technology to improve peoples’ lives.”

Cornell Provost Michael Kotlikoff emphasized the impact of the new professorship in elevating the university as a whole. “Because Cornell is becoming increasingly interconnected, our strengths in New York City enhance the vitality of our Ithaca campus and enrich the work of Cornellians everywhere. We could not be more grateful to Andrew and Ann Tisch for extending their already extraordinary support for Cornell and for their commitment to faculty excellence. We thank them for making such a generous and timely investment in the Jacobs Institute,” he said.

“We are incredibly grateful to Andrew and Ann Tisch for this important gift to support the innovators who are at the very core of the Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute,” said Jeff Richard, American Technion Society executive vice president. “Just as the Technion in Haifa is one of the main drivers of Israel’s renowned tech-based economy, these are the minds and talents who will strengthen the Jacobs Institute’s station as a transformative agent in New York City and around the globe.”

Andrew and Ann Tisch are among Cornell’s most generous donors and ardent champions of the faculty. In 2008, the couple created the Tisch University Professorships in Ithaca, and in 2002, they partnered with James ’75 and Merryl Tisch to endow the Tisch Distinguished University Professorship. Andrew Tisch is vice chair of the Cornell Board of Trustees, a former member of the Trustee Task Force on Cornell Tech, and a current member of the Jacobs Institute Steering Committee.

Jose Beduya is a writer for Alumni Affairs and Development.