Cornell University

History Timeline

1865 — Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White found Cornell University in Ithaca, New York — the youngest Ivy League institution
1865 — "I would found an institution where any person can find instruction in any study" — Ezra Cornell's founding vision
1868 — Cornell opens as a land-grant university, receiving federal funding for agricultural and mechanical education
1870 — Cornell admits women — one of the first coeducational universities in the US
1912 — College of Agriculture established — becomes a model for applied research
1922 — School of Hotel Administration founded — the world's first university-level hospitality program
1940s-1950s — Cornell researchers contribute to the Manhattan Project and early computing
2011 — Cornell wins bid to build a tech campus in New York City (Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island)
2020s — Cornell expands in AI, biotechnology, and sustainable agriculture

Unique Colleges: College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, School of Industrial and Labor Relations, School of Hotel Administration — programs no other Ivy offers
Engineering: Top 15 engineering program nationally — strong in aerospace, biomedical, and computer engineering
Veterinary: Cornell's College of Veterinary Medicine is the oldest and most prestigious in the US
Hospitality: The School of Hotel Administration is ranked #1 globally — virtually every major hotel chain's leadership includes Cornell alumni
Research: $1+ billion annual research expenditure

Endowment: $10+ billion
Acceptance Rate: ~7% (undergraduate)
Students: ~16,000 total (undergrad + grad)
Campus: 2,300 acres on the bluffs overlooking Cayuga Lake (Finger Lakes region)
Notable Alumni: Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Bill Nye, Toni Morrison, Jeff Bezos (attended but transferred), Christine Lagarde

Cornell is the only Ivy League university with a land-grant mission — this means it has a legal obligation to provide education in agriculture, engineering, and practical arts, making it simultaneously elite and populist
The Cornell Big Red marching band is the only college band in America that owns and maintains its own fleet of antique fire trucks — these are used for performances and are maintained by student volunteers