Cornell University pays rich tribute to Ratan Tata; admires his generosity and concern for others
Cornell University paid tribute to Ratan Tata, who passed away at 86, for his generosity and care for others, which supported research benefiting millions of people in India. Ratan Tata graduated in 1962 from Cornell University, a prestigious Ivy League school, with a degree in architecture and structural engineering.
“Ratan Tata’s quiet demeanour and humility belied his international profile. His generosity and concern for others enabled research and scholarship that improved the education and health of millions of people in India and beyond, and extended Cornell’s global impact,” said Cornell University’s interim president Michael Kotlikoff.
Ratan Tata, a former member of Cornell’s board of trustees who later became the university’s biggest global contributor, played a crucial role in establishing the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition, a research project, in 2008. A $50 million investment in 2017 led to the establishment of the Tata Innovation Centre on Cornell’s Roosevelt Island campus in NYC.
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Ratan Tata has ‘left an extraordinary legacy’, says Cornell University
Moreover, the Tata Scholarship Fund offers scholarships to 20 Indian students studying at Cornell University. As of this academic year, 305 Tata scholarships have been awarded to 89 students from India.
“Ratan Tata has left an extraordinary legacy in India, across the world and at Cornell… We will remember his legacy of transformative giving to Cornell,” the university said.
“When Ratan Tata graduated from Cornell with a degree in architecture, it would have been impossible to imagine the global impact his visionary leadership, philanthropy and commitment to humanity would go on to have — advancing education and research across many sectors,” said J Meejin Yoon, the dean of Cornell University College of Architecture, Art, and Planning.
During a reunion in 2009, Ratan Tata attributed some of his business successes to his architectural education at Cornell in a documentary made by his classmates, highlighting the importance of approaching problems creatively.
