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Cornell University

West Campus House System

ThrivingRED and the Class of 1966

Each year, we gather on the Wednesday before the Cornell Trustee Council Annual Meeting weekend to share a meal and conversation with members of the Class of 1966.  The House System has had a special relationship with the Class of ’66.

In 2006, for their 40th Reunion Class Gift, the Class of 1966 created The Becker House Dean’s Fund for Programming to inspire imagination and enrich creativity, and to ensure the excitement of living and learning, Ten years later, for their 50th reunion gift, the Class of ‘66 extended their impact to the entire West Campus House System community through the ThrivingRED gift to support student wellness.  And, for their 55th reunion gift, once again the Class of ’66 looked to enrich the lives of students living in the West Campus House System through a gift to support arts-related programming, ThrivingRED/The Arts!

Timeless Cornell: Reflecting on the Past and Preparing for the Future 
Cornell Class of ’66 in Conversation with West Campus Residents

"You cannot step into the same river twice.” Versions of this quotation, attributed to ancient Greek philosopher Heraclitus, convey a philosophy of constant change. But what does this mean for Cornell? Can you step foot on the same campus twice? What has changed and what has remained? Our three-part conversation series between West Campus residents and members of the Cornell Class of ’66 engages questions of constant change and what we can learn from the past as we look to the future.

  • Valuing Community: Life on Campus Then and Now
    Bruce Mansdorf (’66) and Judy Kurtz Polcer (’66) in conversation with Erica Kirchhof (’22, Cook) and Adigun Olusola (’24, Keeton), moderated by Prof. Andrew Hicks (House Professor-Dean, Hans Bethe House)
  • Unprecedented: Campus Life in Times of Change
    Ivan Wolff (’66) and Diane Stein Dobrow (’66) in conversation with Shehryar Qazi (’24, Becker) and Sparkle Sillim (’22, Bethe), moderated by Prof. Lindsay Anderson (House Professor-Dean, William Keeton House)
  • Lasting Connections: Lessons for Futures beyond Cornell
    Ralph Janis (’66) and Mary Jansen Everett (’66) in conversation with Anuli Ononye (’22, Rose) and Salaiha Mughal (’22, Bethe), moderated by Prof. Rosemary Avery (House Professor-Dean, Flora Rose House)

2020-2021 "...and (In)justice for All" Series

In response to a partially-remote academic year, the West Campus House System partnered with eCornell to host a year-long virtual Learning Where You Live (LWYL) course titled "...and (In)justice for All."  By transforming this from an in person to a virtual program, we are excited that both alumni and students can benefit from exposure to these thought-provoking lectures. This LWYL course featured topics of: democracy and voting rights, incarceration and criminal (in)justice, educational institutions, climate justice, and urban housing policies and segregation. Over two semesters, students engage in five webinars that focus on social justice and public policy and five webinars that intersect justice advocacy with artistic expression.

Each policy webinar was sponsored by the Koen-Horowitz Lecture Series in the College of Human Ecology. Each art conversation was sponsored by the Cornell University Class of '66.

You can view recordings of each webinar below:

FALL 2020
SPRING 2021