PUBLISHER'S LETTER
From the publisher
Thomas W. Bruce, vice president for university communications. See larger image
When the economy and job market are good, it's easy to boast how many graduates get their jobs of choice, many fielding multiple offers months before graduation. It's more revealing, though, to look at how well an institution prepares its students for life after college in the toughest economic environment since the Depression.
In our cover story we look at life after Cornell in the current climate: Our students are leveraging their top-tier education and campus experience to succeed in the tightest job market in generations. How? Through resourcefulness and determination, employing their passions and connections and not being afraid to take risks.
For many recent graduates who had to face a suddenly barren job market as the Great Recession hit, the job paths they have taken may not be what they had initially expected or planned, but in many cases these students have found a serendipitous challenge in the career paths they are taking.
There is, for example, Caitlin Strandberg '10, who had planned for a career in management consulting. The tough job market forced her to confront the reality that this wasn't what she really wanted. Instead, she followed her passion, took a risk and now has a quite different job that, as Caitlin puts it, "is exactly what I wanted."
So our theme is all about new beginnings. When our new students arrive on campus they are facing a beginning fertile with opportunities that, they assume, will put them on expected paths. Four years later they discover that their Cornell education has prepared them as well for dealing with unexpected beginnings.
The cover story isn't the only place in this issue to read about birth and rebirth: Read about the early life of philanthropist Charles Dyson; about a Cornell art historian who is restoring and preserving a long-hidden art collection; and about the early arrival of the first child of Ryan McClay and wife Laura (both Class of '03) while Ryan was playing in the world lacrosse championships this summer.
Just a few weeks ago, we welcomed the incoming Class of 2014 (and several hundred transfer students) – nearly 3,800 of them. Energized with their optimism and determination, this edition of Ezra offers you a spirit of beginning we can all share.
Thomas W. Bruce
Vice President, University Communications