Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference: A Hub for Engagement and Innovation

The Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference (CALC) serves as a vital platform for Cornellians to connect, learn, and contribute to the university's continued success. Building upon the foundation of the Cornell Association of Class Officers (CACO) Mid-Winter Meeting, CALC has evolved into a comprehensive event that welcomes a diverse range of alumni leaders, including regional club leaders, Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN) chairs, and board members from various colleges and schools. By bringing together these dedicated individuals, along with student leaders, CALC fosters collaboration, knowledge sharing, and a renewed commitment to Cornell's mission.

A Conference for All Alumni Leaders

The conference acknowledges that alumni leaders comprise more than just class officers; to cast a wider net, regional club leaders, chairs from the Cornell Alumni Admissions Ambassador Network (CAAAN), and board members of several undergraduate colleges and graduate schools were invited. In addition, almost fifty student leaders came down from campus.The expanded format, inviting alumni who are involved in different alumni volunteer areas, created more opportunities to share practices and learn from peers in other parts of the country.

Highlights from Past Conferences

To gauge the success of the first-ever Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference, held this past January in Washington, D.C., all you had to do was hang around the lobby and bar on Saturday night at the Marriott Wardman Park, where the event was held.

The three-day event kicked off on Friday with a luncheon presentation by Samuel Bacharach, the McKelvey Grant Professor in the ILR school. His talk focused on a key topic for the weekend: leadership. Attendees also had the opportunity to tour several Capital-area attractions, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's office. The day was capped by two "town hall" meetings featuring Professor Glenn Altschuler, PhD '76, dean of the School of Continuing Education and Summer Sessions and vice president for university relations. The first session focused on the direction of the University and also featured Charlie Phlegar, vice president for alumni affairs and development, and Chris Marshall, associate vice president for alumni affairs.

Saturday was about more than just learning about the University-it was also about how alumni can be better leaders and more active volunteers. For alumni who are not busy enough, "Volunteer Opportunities at Cornell" presented a panel of some of the University's top volunteers. Moderated by trustee emeritus Karen Rupert Keating '76, the panelists (Katrina James '96, Jason McGill '88, BArch '89, Kristen Rupert '74, and trustee Paul Salvatore '81, JD '84) discussed their paths to becoming alumni volunteer leaders.

Read also: Immersive Pre-College Experience

Not all sessions focused on Cornell and leadership but on topics of personal concern for attendees. "Career Success" featured Jodi Smith, MILR '95, on proper etiquette for networking events. Saturday morning's plenary sessions gave way to tracks geared toward specific alumni groups-class officers, Law School and Johnson School alumni, regional club leaders, and CAAAN volunteers. Club officers focused on how they can run their organizations more efficiently, from how to use social media to effective networking.

More than 150 CAAAN chairs and volunteers were on hand for the conference, and its sessions-such as a discussion of best practices and a town-hall meeting on how the CAAAN process can be improved-were well attended and informative. On Saturday afternoon, associate director of admissions Kyle Downey put attendees in the role of admissions officer for a session on "Understanding the Admissions Process." Using actual applications, Downey walked participants through the process and asked them to make admissions decisions.

Saturday's activities were capped by a panel presented by MOSAIC, the University's alumni-driven diversity initiative, on issues around health-care reform. And keeping with the Big Red spirit, that night's cocktail reception featured a big-screen viewing of the Cornell-Harvard basketball game (we won, 86-50).

Glasgal said alumni should think beyond rankings and encourage applicants to visit campus, talk to current students, and speak to the admissions office. Sunday also offered a look at young alumni-how to get more of them involved in activities and as volunteers, and what their needs are.

Recognizing Outstanding Contributions

At the Cornell Alumni Leadership Conference in January, Peter Schwarz '47, BEE '46, was honored with the William "Bill" Vanneman '31 Outstanding Class Leader Award. Schwarz was his class correspondent from 1965 to 2002, and has served as class webmaster since 2007 and class president since 2000. The award, which was presented during the conference's Saturday luncheon, is given annually to an alum who has provided long-term exemplary service to the University through his or her role as a class officer.Elected to continue for a second term as directors-from-the-region are Jill Fields '88 (Mid-Atlantic) and Tom Cummings '75 (New York/Ontario). Betty Eng '92 and Larry Taylor '73 were elected to serve a second term as directors-at-large, while Joy Higa '89 was appointed to a first term.

Read also: Cornell University Semester Guide

The President’s Council of Cornell Women’s Symposium

Join us in Washington, DC, on February 5-7, 2026, for the President’s Council of Cornell Women’s Symposium. PCCW Symposium provides Cornellians with a wealth of informative content and community building and networking opportunities. PCCW Symposium 2026: 35 Years of Bold! PCCW Symposium 2026 will take place at the JW Marriott, centrally located in the heart of Washington, DC. Conference room rates start at $253 per night for selected dates between February 5 - 7, 2026. Washington, DC has much to offer. See the selection of pre and post Symposium events. Please note these events each require separate registration aside from your Symposium ticket. Make a positive impact in this year’s host city of Washington, DC by donating household items and toiletries through our partnership Turning Point Center for Women and Children, by Salvation Army National Capital Area Command.

A Welcoming and Inclusive Experience

We are committed to ensuring that CALC provides a welcoming and inclusive experience for everyone.Being at CALC this year was like a breath of fresh air - after so much time of not being able to be around such inspiring and engaging people.

Testimonials

I have attended CALC for years and always get something out of it. But, this past year’s CALC was one of the best I recall. The programming was spot-on, with a breadth of programming topics that were applicable to the variety of alumni groups and leadership levels represented.

Read also: Architecture of Donlon Hall

tags: #Cornell #alumni #leadership #conference

Popular posts: