Extraordinary Progress for an Unprecedented Campaign
On June 13, 2007, Joan and Sanford I. Weill, Corinne and Maurice Greenberg, the Starr Foundation and an anonymous donor gave gifts totaling $400 million to Weill Cornell Medical College (WCMC). Their generosity will benefit students, faculty, staff, and ultimately the many patients we help heal around the world. Several students, representing the global reach of Weill Cornell attended the press conference to announce these gifts, including (from left), first-year WCMC student Joshua Ehrlich; Sanford I. Weill, Chairman of the Board of Overseers; Stella Mongella from Tanzania; Weill Cornell Dean Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., M.D.; WCMC-Qatar student Jehan Al Ravahi; Joan Weill; and WCMC Student Overseer Ankit Patel.
Weill Cornell Medical College entrance at 1300 York Avenue.
At the opening of the Weill Greenberg Center, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg presents a proclamation declaring Jan. 26, 2007 “Weill Cornell Medical College Day.” On hand to celebrate are, from left, Peter C. Meinig, Chairman of the Cornell Board of Trustees; Professor Robin Davisson, wife of David Skorton; Joan Weill; Cornell University President David Skorton; Sanford I. Weill, Chairman of the Weill Cornell Board of Overseers; Mayor Bloomberg; Maurice R. Greenberg, member of the Weill Cornell Board of Overseers; Antonio M. Gotto, Jr., M.D., Dean of Weill Cornell; and Herbert Pardes, M.D., President and CEO of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital.
When Weill Cornell Medical College launched the Discoveries that Make a Difference Capital Campaign in October 2006, the goal of raising $1.3 billion ranked among the most ambitious campaigns of any medical school in the nation.
Today that goal is well on its way to becoming a reality thanks to the extraordinary generosity of Weill Cornell’s supporters. The power of that philanthropy was demonstrated last June when Weill Cornell reached the $650 million mark – the halfway point of the Campaign – just eight months following its launch.
This milestone was reached so quickly thanks to four gifts totaling $400 million. The largest of the gifts, $250 million, was made by Joan and Sanford I. Weill, Chairman of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell Medical College. The gift is believed to be the single largest ever given to a medical school (and brings the Weill family’s historic support of the Medical College to nearly a half billion dollars).
Maurice R. Greenberg, a member of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell and Chairman and CEO of C. V. Starr and Company, and his wife Corinne, gave $25 million. An additional gift of $25 million came from the Starr Foundation. The Greenbergs and the Starr Foundation have been generous and leading benefactors of Weill Cornell and New York-Presbyterian Hospital for several decades.
The final early leadership gift was $100 million, which was received from an anonymous friend in support of the new Biomedical Research Building. The gifts and the outstanding achievements of the Campaign were announced at a press conference on June 13, 2007 where Weill Cornell – once again – made history with the landmark gift announcements.
Another major milestone for Weill Cornell occurred earlier in the year, with the dedication of the Weill Greenberg Center, in January 2007. A new Ambulatory Care and Medical Education Building, the Weill Greenberg Center is named to honor two of our longstanding and distinguished benefactors of the Medical College. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was on hand to celebrate the naming of the 15-story, 330,000 square-foot facility that houses clinical-care and research facilities and a state-of-the-art Clinical Skills Center for medical education and training.
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