Atlantic Mourns the Loss of Frank H.T. Rhodes, President Emeritus of Cornell University
Resource type: News
We mourn the loss of Frank H.T. Rhodes, who passed away Monday, February 3rd, at the age of 93. A long time champion of higher education and philanthropy, Rhodes served as president of Cornell University from 1977 until 1995. Under his leadership Cornell saw tremendous growth in its international reputation. In addition to tripling research funding and leading a successful $1.5 billion capital campaign, Rhodes significantly increased the diversity among students and faculty. During his tenure he worked with Chuck Feeney to establish the Cornell Tradition to provide financial assistance to students and the first of many grants to support the program was made in 1983.
Rhodes remained an active leader in the evolution of the Atlantic Philanthropies’ work in higher education, and served on the Atlantic Foundation Board from 1995 until 2008 and was Chair from 2000 until 2008. To recognize Rhodes’ substantial contributions, two grants were made in his honor: the Frank H.T. Rhodes Class of 1956 Professorship in 2001, and the Frank H.T. Rhodes Fellowships in 2009.
Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and former colleagues.
Learn more:
Frank Rhodes, Cornell’s ninth president, dies at 93
In Memoriam: Frank H.T. Rhodes, 1926-2020