Identity of Cornell's $350 million donor disclosed

Dec. 20, 2011
Atlantic Philanthropies will provide funds to help university build a graduate school in New York City

From The New York Times: The donor whose $350 million gift will be critical in building Cornell University’s new high-tech graduate school on Roosevelt Island is Atlantic Philanthropies, whose founder, Charles F. Feeney, is a Cornell alumnus who made billions of dollars through the Duty Free Shoppers Group.

EARLIER...from The New York Times: Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg says he has chosen Cornell University and Technion-Israel Institute of Technologyto build a $2 billion graduate school of applied sciences on Roosevelt Island. From The New York Times: New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is expected to announce that he has chosen Cornell University to create a new science graduate school on Roosevelt Island. The announcement will come three days after Cornell announced a $350 million gift to help bankroll its proposal, and Stanford University pulled out of the contest. NOVEMBER 2011...from The New York Times: Seven higher-education institutions have submittedbidsfor New York City's support in building a graduate school of engineering and applied sciences in the city. OCTOBER 2011...from The New York Times: Stanford University’s proposed graduate school of science on Roosevelt Island in New York Citycarries a $2.5 billion price tag, the university says, more than double its estimate just weeks ago. Stanford is a leading contender in the city’s competition to create a new school of applied sciences that officials hope will prompt the growth of high-tech business in the city. The city is offering free land and infrastructure improvements, incentives that are worth up to half a billion dollars. Earlier... From The New York Times: New York City's competition to have a major university build a new science graduate school calls for high standards of sustainability and environmental sensitivity, but some competing universities are going much further to out-green one another. Stanford and Cornell, vying for the same city-owned site, are widely seen as the universities to beat. Each of their plans seeks to incorporate innovative environmental measures.

From The New York Times: In the competition for $400 million in land and subsidies to build a science and engineering graduate school in New York City, some universities continue to change plans and jockey for position, and there is a growing view among them that Cornell and Stanford have emerged as the favorites.

JULY 2011...From The New York Times: New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has raised his offer to universities who have expressed interest in setting up a school of engineering and applied sciences in the city. Along with practically free use of land, the city will contribute as much as $100 million. City officials want to make New York more competitive with Silicon Valley as a hub for technology-based businesses. Officials say a school like the one the city is seeking could generate as much as $6 billion in economic activity: creating 30,000 temporary and permanent jobs and fostering innovations that could become big businesses. The city received 18 submissions; among the most enthusiastic bidders were Cornell and Stanford universities. Three city-owned properties are being considered as potential sites for a new campus: the south end of Roosevelt Island in the East River, part of the Brooklyn Navy Yard, and parts of Governors Island.

News release: New York City issues Request for Proposals for Applied Sciences campus.

Related: Stanford University proposes high-tech campus in New York City.

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