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ILRCONNECTIONS
A publication for alumni and friends of the School of Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University/Fall 2004

Message from the Director of Alumni Affairs and Development
Dear Friends,
ILR Connections is published by the
School of Industrial and Labor Relations,
Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-2801.
Edward J. Lawler
Dean
Chris Crooker ’88
Executive Director of ILR AA&D
Jennifer Borel and Janice Guthrie ’76
Project Coordinators
Sue Baldwin, Cornell University
Communication and Marketing Services
Editorial Assistance
Dennis F. Kulis, Cornell University
Communication and Marketing Services
Designer
Photos: Payne Family Photography (Monroe
Payne and Mindy Porter); University
Photography; PhotoDisc; photos on page 8
Dewey Neild Photography
With thanks to Stuart Basefsky and Chris
Guzman ’05 and special appreciation to
Robin Remick ’95 for her contributions and
assistance.
Produced by Communication and Marketing
Services at Cornell University
10/04 AP 10.5M 11580
With Senior Week, Commencement, and Reunion fading in the
distance, new students have arrived on campus. The opportunity
to reflect on the year 2003–2004 has quickly been overtaken
by excitement for the year ahead. Here in Alumni Affairs and
Development fall activities are under way. October 15 and 16 saw a weekend of
festivities: Homecoming and a celebration of the completion of the ILR Conference
Center, extension, and research buildings. The celebration consisted of a day of
events including an open house, building tours, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, and an
evening reception and dinner on Friday. For additional information, please see ILR’s
Conference Center web site (www.ilr.cornell.edu/cc/). The ILRAA is also planning
several alumni events across the country.
You may notice a theme through this issue of ILR Connections: we have taken
“Advancing the World of Work” to heart and are focusing on several of the School’s
international initiatives. ILR is an international community in its own right. Over
4 percent of our undergraduates (39 students) and 42 percent of grad students
(numbering 76) come to ILR from outside the United States. Increasingly, our
students must possess competence on global issues and appreciation for other
cultures to be able to work across cultures. In my conversations with our faculty,
I have learned that dozens of our courses have an international aspect, a natural
outcome of an increase in the study of the global workplace. To take the next step and
remain the leader in advancing the world of work, the School will place even more
energy and resources into global initiatives in the coming semesters. Everything from
research opportunities and faculty exchanges to international internships for students
is necessary to foster our “internationalization.” In addition to the articles in this
issue, you can read more about ILR’s international initiatives at www.ilr.cornell.edu/
international.
On a final note, as we strive to provide more in-depth information in our semiannual
ILR Connections, we are communicating more time-sensitive and “newsy” information
via our new monthly e-mail messages. All subscribers receive “ILR Alumni and Friends
News” in their e-mail “in” box. It tells of the latest happenings here at Ives Hall, faculty
accolades, student activities, and information on upcoming ILR events. If you haven’t
already, please take a minute to subscribe by sending an e-mail to listproc@cornell.
edu. In the body of the message type the command “subscribe” (in plain text without
quotations), followed by ILR_NEWS-L, followed by your name. I think you’ll like what
you see. Thank you for your support of ILR!
Christopher Crooker ’88
Director, ILR Alumni Affairs and Development
■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004
www.ilr.cornell.edu

Faculty Spotlight
Getting Off the Escalator
You might not know Lowell Turner—
he keeps a low profile in Ives Hall,
though he is admired by students
and staff alike. He has a relaxed, conversational
communication style that consistently
puts his “audience” at ease, whether
the occasion presenting itself is 150
students in a lecture hall, a small group
meeting with a handful of participants, or
a one-on-one meeting in his office. He has
a quick, wry smile, and a slight twinkle
creeps into the corner of his eye when he
characterizes his background as an unconventional,
winding path. Whether it is for
formal help on an assignment or informal
conversation, Turner is always approachable,
always welcoming.
Lowell Turner’s life includes a rich
combination of two stories: the international
story and the union story. As a child,
he lived for a year in England while his
father, a sociologist, was on sabbatical at
the London School of Economics; later,
he spent a year living in France as a high
school exchange student, and a semester
abroad in Germany as a college student.
His career path took a detour during
the Vietnam War. He graduated from
Pomona College in 1969 and went to
work for the antiwar movement, where he
met his future wife, Kate. He first worked as
an intern for the American Friends Service
Committee in San Francisco, after which he
held various positions: as an auto mechanic,
construction laborer, letter carrier, and
elected shop and chief steward. A defining
moment in his career came in 1983.
Still working as a union representative
and letter carrier, he was taking night
classes in labor studies at San Francisco
State when he was asked to run for
president of his local union branch.
Turner was forced to make a decision
about direction for his future. He could
run, and immerse himself in the local
union and its politics, or he could step
back to study and gain new perspectives
on the problems of the American labor
movement.
Building on his international background
and the need for a comparative
perspective in an increasingly global
economy, he chose to become a student
again at the tender age of 36 and entered
graduate school at the University of
California at Berkeley to study political
science. Friends and union colleagues
questioned his decision, but that crazy
decision led Turner to what he now sees
as his calling. With an M.A. in 1985 and
a Ph.D. in 1990, he was lucky to find just
the right job at just the right time in the
ILR School at Cornell University.
Given its strong support for
teaching and research in both labor and
international areas, ILR is a perfect fit
for Turner’s interests. He feels strongly
that the partnering of the extension and
resident divisions adds value to the work
being done in both areas and makes ILR
a richer environment, one in which good
research can be linked to the real world in
a relevant way. The result is a chance to
make a real impact, on both academic and
practical levels.
Turner’s current research interests
include several overlapping project areas
Profile
Lowell Turner
(continued on page 2)
www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 1

Getting Off the Escalator (continued from page 3)
that allow for useful research connections:
labor movement revitalization,
directed at six major innovative
strategies of contemporary American
unions; comparative labor movement
revitalization, building on his work with
American unions in conjunction with
parallel research teams in four additional
countries (UK, Germany, Italy, and
Spain); and a combination of both to
examine a new unit of analysis—urban
labor movements, with a focus on
coalition building—together allowing a
combined local, national, and global
perspective. One of several current related
initiatives Turner is working on is the
Pierce Fund Conference on Strategies for
Urban Labor Revitalization, which took
place in Ithaca on October 1 and 2, with
a focus on union campaigns in large,
midsize, and global cities in the United
States and abroad.
His research is framed and extended
in the work of a talented group of
graduate students—with the participation
of associated faculty and undergraduate
students—known informally as the
Global Democracy Research Group.
Around a common theme of labor
movement revitalization, research ranges
from global governance to national
politics of urban coalition building.
Especially gratifying for Turner is the
energy and initiative of the graduate
students, who have helped shaped the
research agenda and plan the workshops,
presentations, and conferences. Most
significant in this regard is the ongoing
“Transatlantic Dialogue,” with annual
meetings and partnership relations
among ILR, the European Trade Union
Institute, and the German Hans-Böckler
Stiftung.
Turner’s teaching schedule for the
coming year includes a large class,
Politics of the Global North: Europe, the
U.S. and Japan in a Changing World
Economy, and two smaller seminars:
Labor in Global Cities and Revitalizing
Labor, A Comparative Perspective.
He will also lead a transfer-student
colloquium, coordinate the Collective
Bargaining workshop, and teach a threeweek
summer session. He somehow
finds time to chair five Ph.D. committees
as well as supervise interns, honors
theses, and independent student projects.
Labor in Global Cities was a new ILR
course offering last year that turned out
to be an experiment in teaching and
research. It grew out of the research
of a group of ILR faculty and graduate
students, who focused on target
cities and assessed labor movement
revitalization. This encompassed an
examination of politics, organizing,
focus in this new area of examination.
Turner describes the balance between his
leadership in introducing material and
laying the groundwork and his students’
help in developing the course as elusive
but essentially one of its greatest
strengths, reflective of coalition building
in itself.
It’s no secret that students are
the most enjoyable part of Turner’s
experience at ILR. In recent years,
he finds undergraduates are more
socially concerned and engaged with
activism ranging from anti-sweatshop
to environmental and antiwar efforts,
“My advice to any ILR student is to get some workplace
experience you can apply to whatever you are learning
bargaining and coalition building in
the selected cities. Each student picked
a city of particular interest and set out
to become an expert on that city’s key
unions, corporations, politicos, and labor
conflicts. In doing so, and in sharing
the results of these investigations in
class, both students and professor were
presented with an opportunity to develop
and analyze a broad picture of new union
vitality (or a lack thereof).
Turner considered last year a test
run and spent some time analyzing and
thinking about the design and its results
to develop adjustments that will augment
the success of the course this year. Active
student participation in the initial design
and as the course progressed was one key
element to its success. The small group
research was also a positive aspect of the
course. Several weeks of readings and
discussions of important works, some
of which were selected by the students,
provided an appropriate background on
the role of labor in global cities. Turner
felt that the course was very successful,
in spite of what may have been a
rambling journey across various themes
as the class tried to develop analytical
in the classroom,” says Turner.
and in campus groups such as COLA
(Cornell Organization for Labor Activism)
and SCALE (Student Coalition Advocates
Labor Education), for which he serves
as faculty adviser. “My advice to any
ILR student is to get some workplace
experience you can apply to whatever you
are learning in the classroom. Get off the
escalator, try different things, and avoid
premature career decisions.” This same
advice, given to Turner at a young age
by his high school track coach, certainly
turned out to be right for him. He got off
the escalator, had a variety of workplace
experiences, and is now immersed in
teaching and research where he sees
himself connected with the real world
and in a position to do some good.
Turner was a lifelong Californian
before coming to Cornell in 1990, when
his children, Eric and Jennifer, were six
and two. His family became an Ithaca
family. This small town, friendly and
green, has been a great place to raise kids
and a fine place to live. Turner’s wife,
Kate, has found a new life here as a social
worker, and after long, winding career
paths, the Turners plan to be Ithaca
residents for a long time to come. ■
2 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu

Inside the Classroom
Globalization of Services (ILRHR 465)
What effects have deregulation, privatization, immigration, and advances
in information technology had on the service sectors of economies
worldwide? This is a key question that students tackle with the guidance of
Professor Rosemary Batt in her course Globalization of Services.
Services do not have a country-of-origin sticker affixed to them. The free flow of
information across borders allows corporations to set up call centers in India and
outsource data entry to Indonesia. The customer is often oblivious to where and by
whom services are being provided. As the service market spreads to the far corners
of the globe, how will it affect the societies and economies of both consumers and
providers of services?
To explore these new and unanswered questions, Batt created ILRHR 465, which
focuses on discussion of readings, experiences, and documentaries with a wide
variety of sources and topics—all relating to the fundamental issue of the effects of
globalization of services. In addition to discussing readings, small groups of students
choose a service sector to research throughout the semester, ultimately producing
a paper and presentation to share at the conclusion of the course. Interesting and
thought-provoking discussion can be heard on topics as diverse as the flight of nurses
from developing countries to the first world, the business of transferring bytes of
data across international borders, and the treatment of workers in African Coca-Cola
bottling operations.
In addition to the instruction provided on the subject matter, students acquire
a great deal of experience honing writing skills, with an emphasis on the structure
and flow of large reports. The class discussion exposes students to extemporized
construction of persuasive arguments, and the final presentation demands good
preparation and speaking skills.
The sum of all these parts is a great experience for any ILR student eager to learn
and expand his or her skill set in a useful and practical way. Batt has structured the
course to impart an appreciation for the quality of the instruction provided and the
insights of fellow students. ■
www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 3

Feature Article
Everything International Is Local;
Everything Local Is International
With the amount of international research
and activities the ILR School has undertaken
in the past few years, it would be easy to
rest on our laurels. But, like the expanding
world of work, ILR’s involvement with the world is growing,
and intentionally so. It is not because of popular research
fields or calculations of where the most grant money can be
obtained, but out of the conscious efforts of a faculty and
administration that recognize, increasingly, that the local
workplace is also a global workplace, and vice versa.
A recent information-sharing gathering
at the School devoted entirely to
ILR’s international efforts was illustrative
of the wide variety of current ILR
international relationships and projects.
The meeting had 34 participants,
including faculty and staff from New
York City, Buffalo, and Ithaca, many
of whom are members of the School’s
International Programs Committee (see
sidebar, p. 6). The meeting, convened
by the School’s Resident Extension
Collaboration team, was one of several
steps designed to generate ideas for
enhanced collaboration across divisions,
departments, and units. It was a
successful start to a series of intellectual
exchanges that will take place in future
months about work in the international
arena. It also demonstrated how eager
faculty, staff, and students are to push
the geographic boundaries of their work.
Now they have support, in the
form of ILR International Programs.
Not a department or an institute by
standard definition, ILR International
Programs is a committee-driven group
of ILR faculty and staff members who
have joined forces with the School’s
administration to refine the integration
of international dimensions into
teaching and research at ILR. Current
initiatives include efforts to promote
international research and exchange
opportunities; expand opportunities for
students’ international education; develop
international institutional partnerships;
organize international conferences; and
publicize international activities, including
faculty research. These activities carry the
ultimate goal of expanding every student’s
international experience and perspective,
and to stretching ILR’s public service
reach on workplace-related matters.
In fall 2002, in an effort to redefine
ILR’s core mission of advancing the
world of work in a global context, Dean
Lawler asked the faculty to form a
committee to facilitate international work
and connections. The committee came
together under Maria Cook’s leadership
and has been at task for two years.
Committee members are determined
that a critical element to ILR’s goal of
remaining a leader in the field as we
expand into the international arena is to
promote the understanding of what we
are currently doing and to learn from each
other. By encouraging discussion and
sharing information, the committee hopes
to facilitate dialogue and international
collaboration.
One of the committee’s first initiatives
involved alerting colleagues and friends
to internationally focused research and
outreach projects already in place or
being planned. Other goals are to better
coordinate resources and use them
more wisely; take advantage of various
synergies without stifling creativity; think
about how we use extension to marry
research and practice and to improve on
this collaboration; examine increased
possibilities for international institutional
exchanges; develop internship and
placement possibilities; and establish a
permanent place to work, discuss, and
study these issues.
The committee is intent on defining how
best to serve our friends and colleagues in
ILR and other campus entities as well as
our external, international clients. Equally
important is an examination of how we can
better educate and prepare our students to
be international citizens in their personal
and professional lives. Encouraging a
refined global perspective is critical to our
goal of keeping ILR in the forefront of
workplace issues and the leader in its field.
Trade and globalization are two
of the largest standard areas of study
in the international arena. As many
4 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu

students are learning from ILR faculty,
however, almost any area of research
can be examined in a global context,
including labor movements, conflict
resolution, human rights, labor law, HR
practices, social justice, labor economics,
and immigration policy. Though we
traditionally think of these subjects
within the frame of our own society, the
United States is not an isolated entity. In
recognition of this fact, ILR Extension,
traditionally viewed as the “grassroots”
side of ILR, out in the world and getting
things done, has expanded its reach
to include activities that extend across
the nation and around the world. Sean
Sweeney, senior extension associate, is
a prime example of combining global
with local (see sidebar, p. 6). Using his
experience working in a British factory
as a reference point, his research focuses
on the international labor movement and
how the U.S. labor movement’s actions
affect it.
In fact, ILR faculty and staff are
conducting international research in
each area listed above, and more. The
breadth of possibilities housed under one
roof illustrates ILR’s unique capacity to
be a key force in advancing the world of
work in the international arena. There
are so many possibilities, in fact, that
the extent of this capacity may not yet
be fully understood. What is clear is that
the way students are taught to approach
the world of work is particularly relevant.
As students move increasingly between
countries, cultures, and corporate
environments, their touchstone will be
their problem-solving and reasoning
processes, the core of their ILR education.
This current drive to enhance students’
global experience is not unique to ILR
or Cornell. President Jeffrey Lehman
has indicated a desire to internationalize
Cornell, and there is a similar international
committee at the university level.
In July, President Lehman traveled to
China, Hong Kong, and India to bolster
academic relations between Cornell and
major institutions in these countries.
Harvard’s curriculum review in recent
weeks listed as a goal to expand every
student’s international experience. ILR
hasn’t yet gone so far as to advise every
incoming student to have a passport, but
increasingly ILR students are living and
studying abroad. International internships
are very important to ILR. They can
transform a student’s vision.
Travel expense can often be a limiting
factor for our students who wish to study
abroad. Tuition during study abroad can
be a tremendous hardship and ultimately
a deterrent for students who budget for
(and whose tuition assistance is based on)
state tuition fees but must pay the same
rate as students in the endowed colleges
for their study abroad. No cost differential
is incorporated into the program, so the
jump in cost for ILR students can be a
difficult hurdle. Financial support will
necessarily need to expand to make it
possible for all of our students to have an
international experience. International
students face additional, special challenges,
which is an area of concern to
ILR’s International Programs Committee.
Students seeking positions after they
graduate increasingly are being affected
by visa requirements.
International programming will be a
major focus for ILR in the coming months
and years and in the upcoming university
campaign. ILR’s goal is to permanently
endow developing programs in the arena
of international/global education and
internships
research, including initiatives for the
Institute on International/Global
Workplace; implementing a memorandum
of understanding with the International
Labour Organization (ILO); the
ILR in Geneva Program (including
course development, undergraduate
internships, and research); forging
formal relationships with several foreign
universities; and funding international
research expenses for faculty and
students.
Clearly, the School is uniquely
equipped to take advantage of
opportunities to advance the world of
work globally. Just as clearly, the total
of ILR’s coordinated efforts at research,
teaching, and extension programming
around the world will be greater than the
sum of its parts, as these three critical
elements combine to form one ILR
compound on international issues.
For more information on ILR’s
burgeoning international programs
visit www.ilr.cornell.edu/international/
or contact Chris Crooker, director, ILR
Alumni Affairs and Development, at
607-255-5827 or cec23@cornell.edu; or
Robin Remick, managing director, ILR
International Programs, at 607-254-2950
or rjr4@cornell.edu. ■
• Ithaca, New York
outreach projects
global workplace
www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 5

Key Players on the International Programs Committee
Members of ILR’s International
Programs Committee want
their work, not who they
are, to be the focal point for discussion
on enhancing the results of ILR’s
international efforts. Each member’s
particular background has led him or
her to focus much time and talent on
international issues. The International
Programs Committee does not reflect all
the people who do international research
and teaching; many faculty at ILR and in
Extension are engaged in international
work. This ever-expanding collection of
backgrounds and perspectives provides
the School with a wealth of intellect and
energy.
Stuart Basefsky, senior
reference librarian
and director of the
IWS News Bureau,
originally was trained
for the foreign service
and characterizes his
international involvements on behalf of
the School with the statement “I am not
a researcher, but I facilitate research.”
Basefsky has facilitated ILR’s international
visibility and cooperation in many
ways, including arranging for two visits
from Jean-Pierre Laviec, director of the
International Institute for Labor Studies;
expediting the creation of a complete
mirror of the ILO web site residing at
Cornell that provides for enhanced access
to ILO materials for Cornell programs and
for Latin American countries in particular;
helping to gain ILO depository status for
the Catherwood Library; working with the
European Trade Union Institute (ETUI)
on developing internship possibilities for
ILR students in Brussels; and helping to
develop a memorandum of understanding
with the European Foundation for the
Improvement of Living and Working
Conditions in Dublin, Ireland (an official
agency of the European Union), based
on the ILO model currently in effect (see
sidebar, p. 11).
The research interests
of Rosemary Batt, ILR
associate professor
of human resource
studies, often focus on
the wages and working
conditions of women
and minorities in low-wage service work.
These interests include strategic human
resource management, service sector
productivity and competitiveness, work
organization and teams, and labor market
analysis. Batt worked and studied in
Mexico; she credits her anthropological
research there with developing a belief
in following her passion and pursuing
the issues that compel her. Observing,
understanding, and connecting with other
cultures is her avocation. She makes it a
priority to get outside the United States
on a regular basis to experience other
cultures and observe how people live.
Maria Cook has chaired
the International
Program Committee
since its inception
and serves as faculty
coordinator of ILR
International Programs.
She is an associate professor in the
Department of Collective Bargaining, Labor
Law, and Labor History. As a child she lived
in Peru, and this experience as well as her
bilingual upbringing (her mother is from
Spain) influenced her decision to study
Latin American politics in college. Cook’s
expertise is in comparative labor law reform
and industrial relations in Latin America
as well as labor politics, democratization,
and political economy in Mexico. She is
also interested in regional integration and
transnational social movements and has
published articles on cross-border union
cooperation under NAFTA. She was
resident director of Cornell’s study abroad
program in Seville, Spain, in 2001–2002
and currently chairs the university’s faculty
advisory board for Cornell Abroad. She also
represents ILR on the International Studies
Advisory Council, which was formed to
advise Cornell president Jeffrey Lehman on
the internationalization of Cornell.
Clete Daniel, professor
of labor history, is
probably best known
for his guidance of
ILR’s credit internship
program, which he has
directed since 1989,
and his tutelage of undergraduates in
two critical introductory courses: ILRCB
100 and 101, Nineteenth- and Twentieth-
Century American Labor History.
International internships are becoming
more popular and available at ILR; during
the 2003–3004 academic year, eight ILR
undergraduates successfully completed
internships with the International Labour
Organization, and one intern has been
placed with a leading British trade union
in London for the fall semester. Daniel
characterizes the ILR faculty as being very
supportive of the internship program;
during the past year 20 faculty members,
representing every department in the
School including extension, supervised
credit internships. Daniel’s own research
is currently focused on collecting material
and conducting numerous oral interviews
for a book-length biography of United
Farm Workers’ founder and president
Cesar Chavez.
Gary S. Fields, professor
of labor economics,
believes that “Advancing
the World of Work”
is appropriate and
descriptive for ILR
because it illuminates
the effort on behalf of both the extension
and resident divisions to facilitate research
and teaching on all issues of importance
to the international workplace. His major
interests are bottom-line workplace
management; labor economics for
managers; economic mobility; and poverty,
inequality, and economic development
in the developing world. While teaching
graduate and undergraduate classes Fields
is continually posing the question, “What
do we mean by development and what
are its effects?” He enjoys examining
the related policy issues with his Cornell
students on the Ithaca campus and in
6 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu

International Projects
France
Industrial, and Professional Trade Union
Susanne Bruyère, director of the ILR
Employment and Disability Institute,
recently traveled to Dublin, Ireland, to
meet with representatives of the Service,
(SIPTU) and the National Health Service
of Ireland to explore possible training
programs for their employees working
on disability issues. Bruyère also met
with representatives of the National
(Ireland) Equality Authority and the
National Disability Authority, civil rights
governmental organizations in Dublin,
and the Disability Rights Commission
and the Prime Minister’s Cabinet Office
Strategy Unit staff in London. These
latter four meetings focused specifically
on the design and implementation of
employment and disability policy at the
national level, for people with disabilities.
Thomas Golden, project director of the
Work Incentives Support Center in the
ILR Employment and Disability Institute,
gave a presentation titled “Federal Policy,
Choice, and Employment: Lessons
Learned from the U.S. and Ticket to
Ireland
Work Act,” at the 12th World Congress
on Intellectual Disabilities in Montpellier,
France, on June 18.
Professors Harry Katz and Sarosh
Kuruvilla made presentations at the recent
Asian Regional Congress of the IIRA
held in Seoul, Korea. This international
conference, “Dynamics and Diversity of
Employment Relations in the Asia-Pacific
Region,” was convened by the Korea
Labor Institute and the Korea Industrial
Relations Association. During their
visit, Katz and Kuruvilla were invited
guests of a special Cornell alumni dinner
coordinated by Tae-Jin Kim, MILR ’93,
and attended by several ILRies living and
working in Seoul.
Professor Harry Katz was part of a
small group of international scholars
who participated in a dinner discussion
about labor and employment issues with
Korea
President Roh Mu-Hyeon at the Blue
House on June 24. The discussion was
facilitated by Won-Duck Lee, former
president of the KLI and former ILR
visiting fellow, who is now a senior policy
adviser to the president at the Blue House.
All participants in the discussion were
attending the IIRA conference (photo,
bottom right).
S. Antonio Ruiz-Quintanilla,
senior research associate in the ILR
Employment and Disability Institute, gave
a presentation titled “An International
Classification of Function (ICF)-based
Tool to Identify Services and Supports
Needs for Inmates with Developmental
Disabilities” at the Tenth Annual
North American Collaborating Center
Conference on ICF held in Halifax, Nova
Scotia, June 1–4, 2004. The conference
was organized by the Canadian Institute
for Health Information (CIHI) and the
National Center for Health Statistics
(NCHS) as members of the World Health
Organization (WHO) Collaborating
Center for the Family of International
Classifications for North America.
Barbara Viniar, executive director of
the Institute for Community College
Development (ICCD), delivered a paper
at the 2004 China–U.S. Community
College Conference held in Beijing in
July. The purpose of the conference is
to enable Chinese and U.S. community
colleges to form institutional partnerships.
Community colleges are very active
internationally, recruiting international
students and providing technical
assistance to emerging colleges and
systems in Australia, Eastern Europe,
Central America, and Asia (photo
opposite).
Professors Katz (left) and Kuruvilla
Professor Katz (second from left) shakes hands with
South Korean president Roh Mu-Nyeon (right).
8 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu

Innovative Strategies for
Sustainable Livelihoods for People
with Disabilities: Gaining Global
Perspective
As a part of the Disabled Persons’
International (DPI) Global Summit held
in Winnipeg, Manitoba, in September
2004, the International Labour Organization
(ILO) and GLADNET worked
together to gather the most innovative
ideas from around the world to share with
others in the Global Village exhibits and
also on three workshops on strategies
to promote sustainable livelihoods
for indigenous people, women, and
youth with disabilities. The GLADNET
Association, affiliated with the ILO
Disability and Work Programme, brings
together research centers, universities,
government departments, trade unions,
and organizations of and for persons
with disabilities and is chaired by ILR’s
Susanne Bruyère.
China
ILR Faculty and Students Participate
in Transatlantic Social Dialogue Brussels
ILR faculty and students recently
participated in the second in an ongoing
series of Transatlantic Dialogue meetings
jointly sponsored by the ILR School, the
European Trade Union Institute, Hans-
Boeckler-Stiftung, and Friedrich-Ebert
Stiftung. The May 2004 conference,
held in Brussels, included a mix of
researchers, students, and union
officials, with an emphasis on bringing
together union innovators and alliance
builders on both sides of the Atlantic.
UNITE president Bruce Raynor, ILR
’72, and Tom Woodruff, executive vice
president of SEIU, together with several
Belgium
of their European counterparts, were
among those representing unions. The
conference focused on cross-national
union collaboration at multinational
corporations. Five ILR-Cornell Ph.D.
students also gave presentations, and
one MILR student and two undergrads
also participated in the sessions and
discussions. Faculty coordinators for ILR
were Lowell Turner and Lee Adler. ■
www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 9

The ILR School and the ILO:
Research and Training Lead Toward a
“Fairer Globalization” Profitable for All
By Stuart Basefsky
In the complex world of work,
it is important to be sensitive
to the often-competing needs
of companies, workers, and
governments. The only truly tripartite
international organization that addresses
these complexities is the International
Labour Organization (ILO), founded
in 1919. Remarkably, the ILR School is
one of the few world-class educational
institutions structured to study these
same three entities as part of the
interwoven fabric that constitutes the
workplace. It is no wonder, therefore,
that the research arm of the ILO, known
as the International Institute for Labour
Studies (IILS) and the ILR School signed
a memorandum of understanding
(MOU) in September 2003 to work
jointly on projects of mutual interest.
As a follow-up to the MOU, several
ILR faculty members traveled to the ILO
headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland,
on May 20 and 21, 2004, just before
attending the CAHRS meeting in
Lausanne. This group, which included
Dean Lawler, Professors Clete Daniel,
James Gross, Rosemary Batt, Ronald
Applegate, Sarosh Kuruvilla, and me,
met for numerous sessions sponsored by
IILS and its director, Jean-Pierre Laviec.
The Ithaca contingent was supported by
the International Committee of the ILR
School, chaired by Maria Cook and the
staff of the Dean’s Office.
While the primary reason for this
meeting was to develop a possible
research and training agenda to respond
to the recently released report of the
World Commission on the Social
Dimension of Globalization, titled “A Fair
Globalization: Creating Opportunities for
All,” other goals included
• identifying the key counterparts to the
ILR faculty residing at the ILO with
whom research and training networks
could be developed for gathering data,
sharing research, and developing
curricula;
• acquainting the dean with the
leadership of the ILO so as to establish
the personal contacts that permit an
institutional relationship to develop.
My Internship with the ILO
By Matthew Schneid ’05
I
spent the spring 2004 semester pursuing an internship for credit that took me
across the ocean to Switzerland, where I worked at the UN’s International Labour
Organization (ILO). I worked directly with several economists from across the
globe analyzing labor market policies in Latin America, and interacted with
government officials and other researchers from around the world.
It quickly became normal to sit at a table with five different individuals
representing five separate nations, five separate cultures, heritages,
and ideologies. These social and intellectual interactions furthered
my development in ways that were not possible at Cornell. My
knowledge from ILR, however, enabled me to fully absorb the
offerings of my stimulating surroundings. The international
experience rounded out my education and created fond
memories.
Working in a research division at the ILO has opened my
eyes to the merit of research and how helpful it will be to
my future. It has propelled my desire to gain knowledge and
confront the world’s challenges through academic pursuits.
I look ahead to future endeavors and greet them with
enthusiasm that I attribute largely to my time abroad, which
fostered increased self-confidence and awareness.
ILR student interns at the ILO in Geneva, March 2004.
Left to right: Mark Eskenazi, Sherely Andrieux, Helen Yoon,
and Matt Schneid.
.
10 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu

An unusual element of this visit was a
two-hour videoconference with ILR faculty
and staff in Ithaca interested in pursuing
this common research agenda. Opening
remarks were made by Lucio Baccaro
(IILS), Harry Katz (ILR), and Clete Daniel
(ILR) on the topic “Toward a Fairer
Globalization: What Role for Employment
Relations Institutions?” This panel
discussion was stimulating and brought
numerous comments and responses from
the nearly 35 participants.
ILR Extension was also well received by
its counterpart, the International Training
Centre of the ILO (located in Turin, Italy).
Its executive director, François Trémeaud,
who also maintains an office at the ILO
in Geneva, agreed to establish a modest
exchange program with the hope that
a broader institutional collaboration
will develop as well as enhanced global
training opportunities.
Dean Lawler had the opportunity to
meet four of the six executive directors of
the ILO while the other faculty members
met with their research counterparts,
hoping to establish solid communications
and networks for future research
opportunities. ■
ILR Signs MOU with European Foundation
for Improvement of Working and Living
Conditions
A
new
memorandum of understanding (MOU) went into effect on June
10, 2004, between the School of Industrial and Labor Relations
and the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and
Working Conditions, located in Dublin, Ireland. The European Foundation is
an official agency of the European Union specializing in industrial and labor
relations. The MOU, signed by Dean Lawler and Willy Buschak, acting director
of the European Foundation, is modeled on ILR’s agreement with the ILO.
The MOU provides for an internship program, a visiting scholar program,
and information services, in short, an expansion of the resources and
opportunities available to ILR students and faculty. A copy of the MOU can be
found online at www.ilr.cornell.edu/international/Partnerships/partnerships.
html.
www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 11

ILR C e l e b r a t i o
n
Our awardees: Senator
Michael Nozzolio ’73 (left) and
Commissioner Gary Bettman
’74 (right)
Shelli (Michelle) Weiner Bettman
AB ’75 and Gary Bettman.
(Left to right) Susan Johnson MS ’85, chair, ILR
Advisory Council, and Dean Edward J. Lawler
present the Alpern Award to Senator Nozzolio.
The Honorable Richard C. Wesley JD ’74, judge,
U.S. Court of Appeals, introduced the senator and
leads the applause as Senator Nozzolio accepts
the award.
Senator Nozzolio’s table guests included (left to right)
Rosemary Nozzolio; Gordon Law, Catherwood Library
director; Senator Nozzolio; and Judge Richard Wesley.
Bruce Raynor ’72 (right) and
Paul Salvatore ’81, JD ’84,
Groat Alpern 2004 committee
chairs, announce event
proceeds for ILR’s student
diversity initiatives.
The Honorable Hugh L. Carey (left), former
New York State governor, with Dean Lawler.
12 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu

2004
Honored guests Jerry ’49, MBA ‘50 and
Enid Alpern BS HE ’47 listen intently.
Michael F. Nozzolio ’73 and
Gary B. Bettman ’74
Michael F. Nozzolio, New York State senator,
was this year’s recipient of the Jerome Alpern
Distinguished Alumni Award, and Gary B. Bettman,
commissioner of the National Hockey League,
received the Judge William B. Groat Alumni
Award. Both awards, designed to recognize extraordinary
service and support to the ILR School,
were presented on Thursday, April 1, at a special
ceremony at the Roosevelt Hotel in New York
City. Event proceeds will benefit ILR’s student
diversity initiatives.
(Left to right) Lisa Hunter ’77, president, ILR
Alumni Association, and David B. Lipsky ’61,
ILR professor and director, Institute on Conflict
Resolution, join Dean Edward J. Lawler in
presenting the Groat Award to Gary Bettman.
Senators Nozzolio (left) and Vincent Leibell flank
Dean Lawler.
Announcing Groat and Alpern Awardees for 2005
Harris Raynor ’69, the southern regional director and an international vice president
of UNITE, is ILR’s 2005 Judge William B. Groat Award winner, and Robert Huret
’65, general partner, Financial Technology Ventures, is the winner of the 2005 Jerome
Alpern Distinguished Alumni Award. Both have been trusted advisers to Dean
Lawler as well as previous ILR deans and have been ardent supporters of the School
over the years. Their awards will be presented on Thursday, March 31, 2005, at the
Roosevelt Hotel in New York City. Save the date, and plan to attend Celebration 2005!
The Judge William B. Groat Alumni Award was established to honor a distinguished
alumnus who has demonstrated outstanding service and support to the
School, and it recognizes those whose career accomplishments have been primarily
within the field of industrial and labor relations.
Harris Raynor currently serves as regional director of the Southern Region and
international VP of the Union of Needletrade, Industrial, and Textile Employees
(UNITE), which represents approximately 30,000 workers in the southern United
States. This union is in the process of merging with the Hotel and Restaurant
Employees union to form UNITE/HERE. He has been involved with unions since
1978; before his union career, he was a public school teacher in Harlem for eight
years. Raynor has served as chair of the ILR Dean’s Advisory Council and is a longterm
member of the council. He has participated in various programs and activities at
ILR and has been a role model for students interested in union careers.
The Jerome Alpern Distinguished Alumni Award was established to honor a
distinguished alumnus who has demonstrated outstanding service and support to the
School, and it recognizes those whose career accomplishments have been primarily
outside the field of industrial and labor relations.
Bob Huret is general partner in Financial Technology Ventures, chairman of
Huret Rothenberg Company, and founder and vice chairman of Newell Associates.
Previously he was senior consultant to the financial services group, Montgomery
Securities. He and his wife, Judy, established the Duncan McIntyre Award in 1994.
This teaching award is given each year to a faculty member who has been nominated
by students as being excellent in the classroom. Huret served on the ILR Campaign
Committee during Cornell University’s Campaign to Create the Future (1991–95).
He is actively involved with the university and has been a member of the University
Council since 1993. He is a recently elected member of the Board of Trustees.
ILR extends special thanks to our table sponsors and all alumni and friends who support
the annual celebration events with their attendance.
www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 13

Study of NYC Firefighters Shows Effective Teamwork,
but Scars of 9/11 Linger
By Linda Myers, Cornell News Service
New York City firefighters are
able to create self-managing,
tightly coordinated teams
that enable them to do
their jobs more quickly and effectively
than other work groups, a Cornell study
shows. However, the trauma of the
September 11, 2001, World Trade Center
terrorist attacks continues to take its toll,
with more depression, anxiety, and stress
still experienced by those who were there
when the Twin Towers fell.
In November 2002, the Smithers
Institute at Cornell’s School of Industrial
and Labor Relations (ILR) in New York
City announced that it would undertake
an independent study proposed by the
Uniformed Firefighters Association
(UFA) Health and Safety office, led
by Philip McArdle. To ensure the
independence of the study, it was fully
funded by the Smithers Institute. The
study focused on the working conditions
and emotional health of New York
City firefighters after September 11.
Researchers surveyed more than 2,000
firefighters and fire officers on such
workplace issues as supervision, decision
making, communication, job hazards,
involvement in rescue efforts following
the September 11 attacks, post-traumatic
stress, drinking, anxiety, and depression.
On April 1, Samuel B. Bacharach,
the McKelvey-Grant Professor of Labor
Management Relations and director of
the Smithers Institute, presented the
preliminary findings to the leadership of
the Uniformed Firefighters Association
(UFA), Uniformed Fire Officers
Association (UFOA), and the New York
City Fire Department (FDNY) at the
Cornell Club in New York City. The
meeting included Fire Commissioner
Nicholas Scopetta, UFOA president
Peter Gorman, UFA president Steve
Cassidy, and many of their key
associates. The three-hour session was
a focused discussion about the work of
firefighters. “It was truly a cooperative
labor-management environment,” said
Bacharach.
In a joint statement, Cassidy
and Gorman said, “This study is an
unprecedented examination of the work
of New York firefighters by a world-class
team of researchers. This examination
has provided a comprehensive study
about the workplace, stress of firefighters
and officers in a post–9/11 world. Its
significance should help guide this job for
decades to come.”
Overall findings were similar for both
firefighters and fire officers. Sixty-two
percent of the survey’s participants were
involved in September 11 rescue and
support efforts. Among those surveyed,
the number of firefighters who reported
seeking help for emotional problems
rose by 50 percent after the attacks. And
firefighters who still suffer from posttraumatic
stress from those events—
evidently many do—report higher levels
of depression, anxiety, stress, and an
increased risk for drinking problems,
according to the study’s results.
A preliminary finding reported at
the meeting was that firefighters and
officers are able to work in self-managing
and tightly coordinated teams to be
effective firefighters. Within those teams,
firefighters place a strong emphasis
on open communication among all
members, reflecting on and learning
from mistakes, taking responsibility
for one’s actions, and enhancing the
performance of the group. “This is a
unique self-managing work environment,
one that private sector employers aspire
to but seldom achieve,” said Bacharach.
The study also showed that firefighters
feel they should have more input into
decision making that directly affects their
immediate work experience: job safety,
what equipment is provided, transfers,
and work rules. Many firefighters say
they have very little voice in professional
decisions at the department level.
Firefighters reported making up to 20
runs during a typical 24-hour shift. In
addition to the inherent risks associated
with firefighting, they said that they
faced a variety of potential hazards on
the job, including exposure to dangerous
chemicals, communicable diseases,
and unsafe traffic conditions, the study
revealed.
As in many other high-risk
occupations, firefighters and fire officers
have a work environment that can be
conducive to heavy drinking, observed
Bacharach. Although the majority of
those who responded did not have
drinking problems, approximately 17
percent were at risk of having a moderate
drinking problem, while 11 percent were
at risk for a severe problem.
Bacharach viewed those findings
broadly: “Everyone seems to be
concerned with the use of illegal drugs
in the workplace, but the primary drug
of choice today is still alcohol. This
study confirms among firefighters what
we already know about drinking in
America. The issue at hand throughout
this country is alcohol. Those who are
at moderate risk may benefit from a
comprehensive workplace education
and intervention program, while those
with severe problems may benefit from
alcoholism treatment,” he said.
Bacharach’s research team, which has
done many workplace studies assessing
people’s emotional health, includes these
Smithers Institute associates: Hilary
Zelko, senior research associate; Peter
Bamberger, visiting scholar; William
Sonnenstuhl, associate professor, ILR
School; and Yasamin Miller, director
of the Survey Research Institute, ILR
School. Martin Wells, professor and
chair of Cornell’s Department of
Biological Statistics and Computational
Biology, served as an adviser on the
project.
14 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu

The R. Brinkley Smithers Institute
Zelko said: “The data are complex.
There is much more to tease out here,
but we thought it was a good time to
highlight some of our preliminary
findings for the unions and the
department. We will continue to analyze
the data over the next few months.”
“I have been a firefighter for 30 years.
That’s who I am,” said Gorman. “These
data tell it very much like it is. Our
brothers and sisters have gone through
a very difficult time in the last few years,
and this Cornell study will surely help me
focus on how to help them.”
“Every participant took the time to fill
out this questionnaire,” noted Bacharach.
“My responsibility is to them. I hope
that labor and management will use our
findings to work in a cooperative way to
enhance the work life and well-being of
firefighters. This was our way of giving
something back to the firefighters,”
said Bacharach, who lives in downtown
Manhattan. ■
The R. Brinkley Smithers
Institute for Alcohol-
Related Workplace Studies
at ILR is one of Cornell’s most
vital outreach programs and an
acknowledged leader in research
and education related to substance
abuse in the workplace. In the
1950s, R. Brinkley Smithers, who
devoted much of his life and
resources to the study, treatment,
and prevention of alcoholism,
forged a close working relationship
with Professor Harrison Trice
at the School of Industrial and
Labor Relations. Together, they
Samuel B. Bacharach (right), McKelvey-
Grant Professor of Labor Management,
directs the Smithers Institute. Here he
is pictured with William J. Sonnenstuhl,
associate professor of industrial and
labor relations and associate director,
Smithers Institute.
conducted a number of pioneering
studies on alcoholism. Their work continues at the ILR School’s Smithers
Institute for Alcohol-Related Workplace Studies, which was established
in 1986 through the Christopher D. Smithers Foundation. The Smithers
Institute is housed in ILR’s Metro New York City Extension Office at 34th
and Madison. Its mission is to provide labor and management with up-todate
research findings on the problems and to suggest realistic options
for handling them. The Smithers Institute has established a rich tradition
of continuous research and education. Its research agenda has focused
on workplace risk factors, member assistance programs, employee
assistance programs, intervention strategies, retirement and substance
abuse, and sexual harassment and substance abuse. Its educational
agenda has developed programs, which allow labor and management to
put important assistance programs into place. Now in its eighteenth year,
the Smithers Institute has expanded efforts to an international arena
doing more comparative work and working closely with international
agencies. R. Brinkley Smithers passed away in 1994. The close
collaboration he had forged between the ILR School and the Christopher
D. Smithers Foundation continues to be carried on by his wife, Mrs. Adele
Smithers-Fornaci, and their son, Christopher B. Smithers.
For more information on the Smithers Institute and its initiatives and
accomplishments, see the web site at www.ilr.cornell.edu/smithers/.
www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 15

Cornell Tradition Fellows
Frederick and Eleanore Backer Cornell
Tradition Fellowship
Adrienne Belyea ’04
Destini Bowman ’05
Caitlin Branisel ’07
Donald K. Blood ‘26 Memorial Cornell Tradition
Fellowship
Jason Lee ’05
Andrew and Alexandra Chapko Cornell
Tradition Fellowship
Miles Fisher ’04
Courtney Mitchell ’07
Matthew Nagowski ’05
Douglas Needham ’04
Class of 1945 Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Jean Lee ’04
Class of 1947 Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Paloma Loya ’05
Class of 1964 Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Tanner Cerand ’04
Class of 1967 Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Brittani Rettig ’06
Class of 1976 Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Miranda Pugh ’04
Class of 1994 Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Alana St. Aude ’07
William B. Connor Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Vladimir Gogish ’07
Charlene Stokes ’06
Cornell Black Alumni Association Cornell
Tradition Fellowship
Jason McGaughy ’05
Cornell Club of Boston Cornell Tradition
Fellowship
Tobin Sullivan ’07
Ariel Tan ’07
Cornell Club of Long Island Cornell Tradition
Fellowship in Memory of Arthur H. Barnes Jr.
Michael Cannata ’04
Cornell Tradition Endowment Fellowship
Wendy Weiss ’04
Thomas Ziehnert ’05
Federation of Cornell Clubs Cornell Tradition
Fellowship
Rachel McKie ’05
Shane Messner ’07
M. J. and Joan Hartford Ferreira Family Cornell
Tradition Fellowship
Jennifer Schechter ’04
Stacy Schwartz ’04
Alan L. Gleitsman Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Jared Kagan ’07
Goldfarb Family Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Anne Fitzpatrick ’05
Rachel Flynn ’06
Jill C. Goodman Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Melanie Tu ’07
David Guttman ‘39 Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Elizabeth Mattern ’04
Raymond L. and Scharlie B. Handlan Cornell
Tradition Fellowship
Valerya Kravets ’06
Alan and Elizabeth Harris Family Cornell
Tradition Fellowship
Liza Lee ’07
Francesca Liquori ’04
Vance and Louise Hazzard Cornell Tradition
Fellowship
Michael Hint ’06
William Randolph Hearst Cornell Tradition
Fellowship
Seth Lee ’06
William Mascaro ’04
Augusta Wolf Sarna-Richard K. Kaufmann
Cornell Alumni Association of New York City
Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Roger Knight ’04
Senator James J. Lack Cornell Tradition
Fellowship
Laura London ’05
Marie and John Lavallard Cornell Tradition
Fellowship
Jennifer Riofrio ’06
Richard J. and Neil Ann S. Levine Cornell
Tradition Fellowship
Adam Barry ’07
Marsicano Foundation Cornell Tradition
Fellowship
Stephanie Diane Conrad ’06
Jonathan Goldin ’04
Matthew Gorman ’07
Danielle Hawkins ’04
Elsie Montag Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Shawn Dillon ’04
Julia Donahue ’07
Rachel Dunsmoor ’04
Robert Dusel ’06
Olivia Dwyer ’07
Jessica Erickson ’05
Katherine Fuhrman ’06
Elisabeth Miller ’05
Stephen F. and Alice J. Munsell Cornell
Tradition Fellowship
Maksim Rakhlin ’04
Leo Rakitin ’07
Nelson Family Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Debra Charish ’04
Nausheen Rokerya ’07
Pi Beta Phi Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Susan DelGiorno ’06
Lewis J. Perl Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Nicholas Fohs ’07
Freeman C. Pond 1893 Family Cornell Tradition
Fellowship
Steven Helfont ’07
Richard M. Ramin Class of 1951 Cornell
Tradition Fellowship
Dante Simone ’05
Arlene Sadd Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Iris Packman ’06
Bronislava Popovetskaya ’05
Virginia K. and William E. Snyder Cornell
Tradition Fellowship
Catherine O’Doherty ’07
Charles Shuff - 7/80 Cornell Tradition
Fellowship
Sebastian Mascaro ’07
Ernest F. Steiner Cornell Tradition Fellowship
Lauren Mikulski ’04
Source: Cornell Tradition Office, July 1, 2004.
Graduate ILR Fellowship Recipients
2003–2004
Althea Halan MILR Scholarship
Natalie Constant
Benjamin Miller Scholarship
Ronit Waismel-Manor
Bristol Myers-Squibb Fellowship
Anthony Buffum
Jacyln Hamner
Dianna Young
Dorothy Funt Memorial Scholarship
Name of recipient not available to date
Eleanor Emerson Fellowship
Joan Moriarty
Frances Perkins Scholarship
Rano Burkhanova
MILR Assistantships
Mirela Baba
Cabrina Bartocci
Amy Cocuzza
Megan Dittman
Anne Ensminger
Emily Gresham
Michael Lewis
Katherine McDonald
Shimul Melwani
Carolyn Parnell
Ian Schachner
Taylor Stahl
Cory Stern
Jing Wang
Sage Fellowship
Mingwei Liu
Special ILR Fellowships
Natalie Constant
Cassandra Dunston
Kristina Guillen
Andrea Gunther
John Krzeminski
Melissa Malcolm
Kenneth Matos
Laurel McKie
Llesena Ontiveras
Verizon “CAHRS” Assistantships
Meenal Chaukar
Lindsey Cottom
Dan Gruber
Holly Paine
Carlos Politi
Source: ILR Graduate Field Office, May 24, 2004.
16 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu

ILR Scholarship Recipients 2003–2004
Daniel Alpern Memorial Prize
Faith Bekermus ’04
Betsy Cooper ’04
Daniel Alpern Memorial Scholarship
Giselle Balagat ’04
Randi Feldheim ’05
Katie French ’04
Bella Fridman ’05
Sophia Kwon ’05
Dagmara Michalczuk ’04
Mariangela Mosley ’04
Barry O’Connell ’05
Raquel Recio ’04
Allein Sabel ’04
Erin Sylvester ’04
L. Kevin Becraft ’73 Cornell/ILR Vietnam
Veterans’ Scholarship*
Noel Flores ’06
Samuel and Julia Bluestein Memorial
Maksim Rakhlin ’04
James Campbell Memorial Award
Suchi Mithani ’04
Donald P. Dietrich Award Fund
Perry Gagliardi ’06
Lakeiya Maxwell ’05
Mitchell Lane Dorf Memorial Scholarship
James LaRocca ’04
Raphael Rabin-Havt ’05
Marc P. Gabor Memorial Scholarship
Leah Stormo ’04
Barnett P. Goldstein Memorial Scholarship
Christopher Guzman ’05
Judge William B. Groat Scholarship
Jamie Pierre-Louis ’04
Dante Simone ’05
The Harrow Family Scholarship
Laura Eaton ’04
Jennifer Pastarnack ’04
Phyllis Larue Hinsey Scholarship*
Sean Daly ’06
Flora Vineberg ’06
Louis Hollander Scholarship Fund
David Belsky ’04
Roger Couture ’05
Michael Cross ’06
Gwendolyn Doyle ’06
Randi Feldheim ’04
Noel Flores ’06
Christopher Guzman ’05
Jacob Holwerda ’06
Timothy Hou ’05
Asher Knipe ’04
Nathan Kopp ’04
Charles Lashbaugh ’04
Nicholas Penzarella ’04
Michael Peretti ’04
Luke Staskal ’04
Ana Maria Techeira ’06
Gayraud Townsend ’06
Irving Ives Scholarship
Faith Bekermus ’04
Ellen Cooper ’04
Anna Fishman ’06
Galia Porat ’05
Felix Kaufman and Sophie L. Siedenberg Book
Award
Ellen Cooper ’04
Bernard P. Lampert ILR Alumni Scholarship
Fund
Thomas Peretti ’05
Andrew Sherrill ’06
Gayraud Townsend ’06
Noel Arnold Levin Memorial Scholarship
Jacob Holwerda ’06
Stuart Linnick Memorial Scholarship
Maksim Rakhlin ’04
Kyra Tichacek ’05
Theodore S. Lisberger Memorial Scholarship
Roger Couture ’05
The Mckersie Scholarship
Sherely Andrieux ’05
Alicia Horbaczewski ’05
Diane Maroongroge ’04
Graham Schell ’04
Robert B. McKersie Scholarship
Anne Fitzpatrick ’05
Barrett Lowell ’05
James E. McPherson Memorial Scholarship
Ian Hayward ’04
Diana Yong ’04
Clem Miller Summer Scholarship
Joshua Bronstein ’05
Sherli Yeroushalmi ’05
Elizabeth D. Moore and Lisa Lipner
Hunter Scholarship*
Jordan Wells ’07
Felix Neptune Book Award
Bryan Rosenthal ’05
Phela Townsend ’06
John O’Donnell Prize in Labor Law
Alex Solomon ’06
Stephen and Wendie Ploscowe
Scholarship Fund
Clare Hammonds ’04
Vincent Hull ’04
Regan-Easton Scholarship Fund
Kristi Rich ’05
Christina Schleifer ’04
Kyra Tichacek ’05
Robert Way ’05
Rich /Florin Scholarship
Allison Kelley ’05
Diane Long ’05
Paul Pagano ’05
Tzvetelina Valov ’05
Linda Schwartz Miller Scholarship
Vanessa Astrup ’05
Faith Bekermus ’05
Stephanie Chen ’04
Christy Lim ’04
Salvatore Family Prize in American History
Names of recipients not available to date
Larry and Sarah Saul Scholarship
Gayraud Townsend ’06
Joel Seidman Memorial Prize
Joseph Pylman ’04
Robert J. Seifer Scholarship
Matthew Gretczko ’04
Scott Jones ’04
Garrett B. Smith Scholarship*
Flora Vineberg ’06
Edward M. Snyder Memorial Fund
Elisabeth Miller ’05
Herman Stern ’52 Scholarhip*
Adam Hollier ’07
Marion Donahue Tolles Memorial Scholarship
Yvonne Arnold ’06
Undergrad Minority Scholarship
Brittani Rettig ’06
Phela Townsend ’06
Vuillermet Scholarship*
Paloma Loya ’05
Saul Wallen Summer Internship (Municipal
Labor Commission)
Mark Eskenazi ’05
Richard C. Worrell I and Charles L. Wright
Scholarship*
Theresa Bowman ’04
Source: ILR Office of Student Services, May 24, 2004
*Source: AA&D Office of Scholarship Development,
June 2, 2004
www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 17

Students in the Spotlight
Jack Cognetta ’06
ILR junior Jack
Cognetta has
the kind of
résumé that makes
the average (and
even above average)
student cringe in
envy. Currently, he is
a Cornell Presidential
Research Scholar,
president of the ILR Student Government
Association (SGA), editor-in-chief of
the Cornell Pre-Law Journal, managing
editor of The Research Paper (a magazine
of undergraduate research at Cornell),
incoming president of the ILR Ambassadors
program, a WVBR sportscaster, and a
founding father of the Phi Kappa Phi
fraternity. He is an employee with the
Survey Research Institute (formerly CAST)
and was an intern in New York City’s Public
Service Corps program this past summer.
Did I mention that Jack Cognetta only just
began his junior year?
Looking at this list, it is easy to get lost
in the titles as markers of his current and
future success. To view his life this way,
however, is a great disservice to Cognetta
and his personal drive. What he has done
in his short time at Cornell is merely
an outgrowth of his enthusiasm for
community, natural intellectual curiosity,
and interest in the world around him.
Cognetta’s dazzling career began before
Cornell. Growing up in Brooklyn, he
attended Midwood High School at Brooklyn
College, recently honored as a Blue-Ribbon
Secondary School of Excellence by the U.S.
Department of Education. Cognetta was
involved in many extracurricular activities;
he also earned the honor of being named
an Intel Social Science Research Scholar.
His two research projects—a sociological
study examining political awareness in
our information society and a quality of
life public policy proposal to implement
advanced vehicle-locating devices in New
York City’s public transportation system—
were signposts of his diverse interests.
Cognetta lists history, social studies, and
communications as his favorite high school
subjects, fields that are interrelated and also
colossal areas of study in their own right.
A high school guidance counselor gave
Cognetta materials on ILR at Cornell, and
it seemed like the ideal place to pursue his
interests. “I have always had a passion to
work with people and make a difference in
the world,” he explains. “ILR seemed like
the perfect blend of both of those worlds.”
ILR also felt socially like a good fit, a “tightknit
community where everybody knows
your name and where you can always
feel comfortable in your shoes.” Cognetta
remembers visiting during Cornell Days
in 2002 and being able to sit in on lectures
and talk to professors afterward, which
sealed his college decision. ILR has lived
up to his expectations; Cognetta notes that
one of the best things about the School is
that “staff and faculty treat each student as
an individual rather than as a number or a
statistic.”
ILR’s setting at Cornell offered
additional opportunities for social and
academic growth, including the honor
of being part of the Cornell Presidential
Research Scholars (CPRS) program. This
program pairs undergraduate students with
faculty members to work on individual
research projects in addition to their course
load. Their work is supported through the
disbursement of various grants throughout
their education (see sidebar). Being a part
of the CPRS program has helped Cognetta
adjust to college life and feel settled in the
large campus.
“Being a part of CPRS really makes
you feel special,” he says, remembering
that when he first moved into his dorm,
the program left a welcoming note on
his door. He also feels that it makes his
academic life “well rounded and complete,”
by giving him the chance to delve into
topics that interest him within the
framework of an elite research university.
Cognetta is currently working with Maria
Cook, associate professor of collective
bargaining, labor law, and labor history, on
a comparative study of globalization and its
influence on Brazil and South Africa, two
major forces in the Global South.
“My project attempts to characterize
how both countries have been able
to balance the tensions of entering
the free trade community while also
maintaining a social democracy and labor’s
empowerment,” he explains. The research
will include travel to both South Africa
and Latin America in the next few years
so that Cognetta can gain more insight
into the societies. He is also considering
a new research project in the coming year
examining incarceration in the United
States.
With his intense studies, Cognetta
sees his extracurricular activities as a way
to maintain emotional and intellectual
equilibrium. He believes that “Cornell is as
much about achievement and opportunity
as it is about self-discovery.” His continuing
need to make a difference in his world
drives him; he lists his work with the ILR
Student Government Association (SGA) as
one of the most rewarding of his activities
because “the SGA has dedicated a lot of
time and effort to making a difference in
the ILR community.” He enjoys working
to bring together the faculty, students,
and staff, creating a unified community.
Kevin Harris, associate director of student
services and adviser to the SGA, praises
the work that Cognetta has done with the
organization, describing the student as a “a
natural-born leader.”
18 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu

One might worry that Cognetta, is, in
fact, too serious. But his noble and esoteric
pursuits seem to be happily offset with a
good deal of whimsy, whether it is riding
tricycles for a charity event or serving as the
sportscaster for Cornell baseball. Cognetta
lists his career goals as heading in the
direction of journalism, social justice, and
public service, but adds that he dreams
of calling the play-by-play for a New York
Yankees game on the radio or television.
It seems that anything is possible for this
go-getter.
His pursuits this past summer fell
more on the earnest side of his goals—he
worked for the New York City Public Service
Corps program. This program provides
undergraduate and graduate work-study
students with internship opportunities in
more than 30 city agencies tailored to the
students’ majors and interests. He is also
considering a future internship opportunity
with the American Federation of Television
and Radio Artists Union.
What is most interesting and revealing
about Jack Cognetta is the way he straddles
so many interests and worlds. His interest
in pursuing an internship with the
American Federation of Television and
Radio Artists Union in New York City
typifies his quest to bring together public
service, community, social justice, and a flair
for and interest in entertainment. And it is
this skill of unification that makes Cognetta
so successful at everything he does—from
bringing disparate groups together as
president of the SGA, to reconciling media
interpretations of the blue-collar worker in
his class. This is also what makes Cognetta
such a perfect match for ILR; he is an
embodiment of the School’s goals: to bring
all sides to the table and find a greater
good for everyone and maintain a sense of
community and levity at the same time. ■
CPRS
The Cornell Presidential Research
Scholars Program
Although Cornell is one of the top research universities in the
country, much of the research formerly was conducted outside
the field of the average undergraduate’s experience, providing
few opportunities for advanced students to reach for a higher goal
during their four years here.
President Hunter Rawlings addressed this issue as his first
undergraduate research initiative, by founding the Cornell Presidential
Research Scholars Program (CPRS). This highly selective program
brings academically gifted students to Cornell to conduct individual
research with the professor(s) of their choice during their academic
careers. Providing freshmen with the opportunity to enter a world that
was previously open only to graduate students is an honor in itself, but
the CPRS program goes a step further: it provides financial support for
the scholars. Participants in the CPRS program receive up to $10,000
in a research support account that may be used for wages, researchrelated
travel, limited supplies, and summer research expenses
(students are required to spend at least one summer during their
four years working on their research). Additionally, financially eligible
students may receive up to $4,000 each year in loan replacement.
The competition to enter the program is intense; students are
selected in conjunction with their admission applications based on their
academic qualification and past research experience. Only 2 percent
of incoming freshmen are accepted into the CPRS program. Students
are paired with a faculty adviser who is in their field of interest; Jack
Cognetta was paired with Maria Cook based on an indication on his
application that he was interested in Latin America. Though students
conducting research in science fields make up a majority of the program,
the scope of CPRS includes all disciplines. Students are required to write
regular papers as their research progresses, and at the end of their four
years they present their work at CPRS’s annual open house.
Though the work is intense, the rewards are great. Brian Kwoba ’04
researched “Rumba,” an indigenous musical art form that consists of
singing, dancing, and drumming; his CPRS funding allowed him to travel
to Cuba to conduct interviews, take drumming lessons, and observe
musical performances as part of his research. It was an experience
that no book or electronic journal article, the cornerstones of most
undergraduate academic research, could provide. For Jack Cognetta, the
CPRS program is an “opportunity to reap the benefits of such a research
university” and “the opportunity to explore these issues, ideas, and
problems that have sparked my interest since high school.”
The CPRS program is one of three programs providing scholarships
for undergraduates, which is run by the Cornell Commitment Office.
More information can be found online at www.commitment.cornell.edu/
CPRS/.
www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 19

ILR Alumni Across the Globe
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Class Notes
1948
Harriet Oxman recently graduated from the
Sarasota Sheriff’s Citizen’s Law Enforcement
Academy and sent photos, including the one
at right, to prove it. This past summer she
planned to travel to Mongolia and Siberia by
way of Beijing.
Harriet Oxman ’48 (right) rappels out of
a fourth-floor window as part of her law
enforcement training. She indicates that
her experience could prove inspirational for
some current ILR students, and draws special
attention to her Cornell cap.
1951
Albert Marchigiani suffered a severe stroke
and has been in rehab since March 29, 2003.
1956
Roger Sommer wrote the chapter “How to
Implement Organizational Resizing” for the
professional book Resizing the Organization,
edited by Kenneth P. De Meuse and Mitchell
Lee Marks.
20 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu

• • • • • • •
•
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•
•
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and workplace safety laws to employees of
Congress and the legislative branch.
1962
Judge Stephen J. Adler organized a forum
at the Israel Court last December featuring
ILR Professor Harry Katz as the keynote
speaker. Katz, the Jack Sheinkman Professor
of Collective Bargaining, spoke to a standingroom-only
audience of over 140 lawyers,
academics, and labor relations professionals
about recent changes in labor relations, with
a focus on the lessons for national-level labormanagement
partnerships.
1966
Attorney Bruce J. Bergman, a partner at
Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman LLP, was
a featured speaker on the relationship of
predatory lending to title insurance at the
New York State Land Title Association
annual convention in Boston from August 14
through August 17, 2003. Bergman was also
a featured speaker at the New York County
Lawyers’ Association CLE program on
receiverships on November 25.
1968
Jay Waks was recently ranked first among
defendant-side employment attorneys in
New York by the new 2003–2004 Chambers
USA Guide. He was also recently honored with
a presentation by the Cornell Black Alumni
Association for his steadfast dedication to and
support of the CBAA’s mission and goals.
1971
Dr. Joseph Milano passed away on August 23,
2003.
1973
Barry A. Hartstein has joined Morgan Lewis’s
new Chicago-based labor, employment, and
employee benefits practice.
1977
Robert Dutkowsky recently joined Egenera,
Inc., as chairman, president, and chief
executive officer.
Craig Gold was married on July 20, 2003, in
Redondo Beach, California, to Mariette Umali,
who works at Cedar Sinai Medical Center.
Wayne Helsby was installed as president of the
Orange County Bar Association for the coming
year at the association’s May 2004 meeting.
He is a partner with the labor management
firm of Allen, Norton & Blue, P.A. and is in
charge of its Orlando office.
(continued on page 23)
•
•
1958
Marvin Berenblum is now president and CEO
of National Executive Service Corps (NESC).
Arthur Shostak completed five new books in
2003, bringing his total to 27.
1961
Peter Ames Eveleth was recently appointed
to a five-year term as general counsel of the
United States Office of Compliance. The
general counsel is responsible for enforcing
the Congressional Accountability Act,
which applies civil rights labor relations
Participants in the One Hundredth Birthday Conference for Alice Cook, held at the
ILR School in November 2003, gather around a life-size image of the late professor.
From left is Marcia L. Greenbaum, ILR ’62, arbitrator; Elena Gvozdeva of the Russian
Academy of Sciences; and Tia Schneider Denenberg, ILR ’67, arbitrator and co-director
of Workplace Solutions. The conference was attended by practitioners and scholars
from around the world. Photo by Workplace Solutions
www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 21

Alumni
Profile
Louisa J. (Jane) Hayward MS ’89
Human Resources Manager, UK and Ireland ExxonMobil Corporation
Road to ILR
I got to a point where I knew that I wanted
to make my career in human resources,
but I did not have a specialist degree in this
area. As I scanned the job advertisements I
increasingly noticed that master’s degrees
were “preferred” for the types of positions
to which I aspired. I noted that faculty and
researchers from the Cornell ILR school
featured prominently in reading that I did
on various HR topics and issues. I did some
research and determined that Cornell had a
top program. I told myself that if I was going
to give up a salary for two years I should
really try to go to a top program, so I put
all my eggs in one basket and applied to
Cornell.
Take-Away
The first important lesson I learned was
how much I didn’t know! After spending 11
years as an HR practitioner, I wondered how
much I would really learn in a specialized
HR degree. Within days of being back in the
classroom I was astounded by how much I
didn’t know. And ultimately this was the most
important lesson, the power and importance
of engaging in lifelong learning.
Development in an International Field
At the time I attended Cornell ILR there
was not as much focus on international
HR as you find in the curriculum today.
Cornell, however, is a very international
community, and one of my closest friends
in the ILR program was from Japan. A
combination of my friendship with Fumie
and my having studied in London as an
undergraduate inspired me to express an
interest in “positions with an international
focus” when I joined Mobil Corporation,
now ExxonMobil. Living, studying, and
working in project teams in this community
also built capability in the area of cultural
understanding and valuing of difference,
which are key capabilities to successful work
in an international setting.
Memories
I have many favorite memories of Cornell/
ILR. One is the launch of the Center for
Advanced Human Resource Studies (CAHRS).
The first meeting of the center sponsors
took place while I was there, and several
colleagues and I had the honor of presenting
the results of one of our research projects
to this group. It was a great opportunity
to test our thinking with a group of senior
HR executives. Another favorite memory
is graduation. Frank Rhodes was president
at the time, and he would always end his
graduation message with an old Irish toast. I
have loved that toast ever since I first heard
President Rhodes say it and I have used it
many times since, particularly now that I
have direct responsibility for HR services
to our company in Ireland. Finally, I have
great memories of the “mature students
breakfast club” that used to meet on Fridays
at 7:30 a.m. for breakfast and then be at
the Catherwood Library when the doors
opened. I am still in touch with these friends
today and a few have even visited us in
London.
Looking Forward
I believe that students at the ILR school
benefit from the convergence of a top-tier
faculty, a dynamic and diverse student
body, and world class resources such as the
Catherwood Library. Protecting the School’s
ability to bring all three factors together
into the future should be a strategic focus
for ILR.
Giving Back
I came to Cornell expecting to fund my
own way through the program and was
ultimately offered assistantships for three
of my four semesters. This meant the
financial investment I made from my own
resources was far less than I expected, and
I wanted to show my appreciation by giving
back to the school when I was in a position
to do so. I want to be a part of helping
Cornell ILR continue to bring top-tier faculty
and dynamic and diverse students together
with world-class resources to enable
that very special learning environment I
experienced to continue to develop future
HR researchers, teachers, and leaders. ■
22 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu

Class Notes (continued from page 21)
1978
Ina Plotsky Kupferberg reports that she is still
a stay-at-home mom with three kids ages 13,
10, and 7. She is active in several community
organizations, applying her skills to volunteer
work.
1979
Rebecca (Maron) Mazin recently announced
the publication of a new book, The HR Answer
Book: An Indispensable Guide for Managers and
Human Resources Professionals (co-authored
with Shawn A. Smith). The preface is coauthored
by Jay S. Walker, ILR ’78, chairman,
Walker Digital, and founder, priceline.com;
and by Eileen Walker, former manager U.S.
compensation, IBM Corporation. The book
was among those featured for July 2004
on Catherwood Library’s web site (www.ilr.
cornell.edu/library/featuredBook.html) in a
section devoted to new books in the HR/ILR
field.
1980
Karen Smith-Pilkington was recently featured
in the Rochester Business Journal. She is
currently the president of Kodak Professional
and senior vice president of the Eastman
Kodak Company, in Rochester, N.Y.
1981
Tracy Dolgin has joined Houlihan Lokey
Howard & Zukin as one of three heads of the
investment bank’s Media and Entertainment
Group.
Steven Hochberg and his family have
permanently relocated to San Diego. He has
two children, Danielle, seven, and Jeremy,
five. He is currently celebrating 15 years of
operation of Caliber Associates.
1984
Sara Jean Horowitz is the executive director of
Working Today, a Brooklyn, N.Y., nonprofit
organization that has addressed the concerns
of the independent workforce since 1995.
1985
Susan Johnson and Pitney Bowes Inc. were
recognized as number one in a recent issue
of Diversity Inc. for Pitney Bowes’ inclusion
on the list of Top 50 Companies for Diversity.
She is vice president for human resources,
corporate staff, and diversity leadership.
Catherine Varous gave birth to her first child
on March 5, 2003. She left Goldman Sachs in
December 2001 to pursue a second master’s
degree at New York University.
1988
Jeffrey Bosley joined the firm of Winston
& Strawn LLP as a partner in the Labor and
Employment Relations Department. He
represents management in state and federal
employment litigation, collective bargaining
and labor relations matters, arbitration, and
administrative proceedings.
1989
Lisa Berg was board certified by the Florida
Bar in labor and employment law this year.
1990
Mary Ann Bross was promoted from director
of human resources to vice president at
Somerset Medical Center.
Corinne Lopez-Allen is an assistant
negotiator for the University of California
Office of the President. In addition to her
daughter, Angela, she now has a five-yearold
son, Anthony, and a three-year-old son,
Alexander.
1991
Samir Gupte was named vice president
of human resources for Bahama Breeze,
the nation’s leading Caribbean-inspired
restaurant company.
1993
Justin Smith recently announced his
engagement to Denise Emenheiser of
Lancaster, Pa.
Stephen Stern joined a new law firm: Ross,
Dixon & Bell LLP in Washington, D.C. He
still practices employment law, giving advice
and representing employers in litigation. In
addition, his practice has expanded to include
commercial and insurance litigation. Also, in
September 2003, he and his wife, Jacquelyn,
had their first child, Madeleine Ava.
Alexander Stiles was married on June 28,
2003, at St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church in
Newport News, Va.
1995
Janet Lee Goldberg was recently married to
David Bruce Horn at Temple Emanu-El in
Closter, N.J.
Jodi R. Smith has sealed a two-book deal with
Barnes & Noble.
Lisa Tobio started a new job in December
2002 as the director of HR at Chemical Week
Associates, a periodical publishing company.
2001
Joan Leahy recently became engaged to fellow
2001 graduate Brenden Quigley.
Yancey Ann Norris has announced her
engagement to Steven Michael Hass.
The wedding is planed for October in
Richmond, Va.
2002
Pearl Ann Hendrix is a second-year law
school student at Rutgers University School
of Law in Camden, N.J. Her husband,
Charles N. Jerdonek ’02, is a chemical
engineer at Cordis, a Johnson & Johnson
company. He began his master’s degree, also
at Rutgers, in January. His degree will be in
chemical and biochemical engineering.
2004
Graduating MILR Megan Dittman was one of
250,000 applicants screened and chosen to
interview in person in New York City for the
next season of The Apprentice.
www.ilr.cornell.edu ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■ 23

ILR Connections Secure
International Internship
By Sachiko Uno, MILR ’05
When classes started in September 2003, I
began searching for a summer internship
in my native country of Japan. I gradually
realized that finding a human resource internship
in Japan can be as difficult as getting an offer
in the United States without U.S. citizenship. I
sent hundreds of e-mails to companies to inquire
about internship opportunities. Only half of them
replied, most saying, “We do not have an internship
program for students specializing in human
resources,” or “We do not hire interns without
human resource–related experience.” As I faced the tough Japanese job market,
I saw flyers advertising ILR’s Winter Internship Program (WISP) and attended an
information session. Although WISP sounded like a good idea, no positions were
posted for Japan. This is when I realized how valuable the ILR alumni network can
be. ILR alumnus Andrew Doyle ’96, who was himself an HR intern in Japan as
an undergraduate and is now working in Tokyo at Merrill Lynch Japan Securities,
agreed to host my WISP.
My first day at Merrill Lynch exceeded my expectations. Mr. Doyle introduced
me to the CEO of Merrill Lynch Japan and to the HR staff there. After a brief,
yet amazing tour of the stock trading rooms, I went to work. I was assigned
three projects with only three weeks to complete them. I wasn’t expecting to
be given responsibility for such significant projects—I thought I might be doing
administrative work, data entry, photocopying, and so forth. The reality proved
quite different. Mr. Doyle knew firsthand how valuable real projects can be to ILR
interns. I recognized how fortunate I was to have this WISP and decided to take
full advantage of the opportunity and exposure. Although all three projects were
equally interesting and demanding, the one on trend analysis in training programs
was especially informative. Unlike data we use in our class projects, which are
assumed accurate (something that rarely happens in the real world), this project
taught me to think critically when data are less certain. I thought I would just
enhance my résumé, but my internship turned out to be an invaluable experience.
As my ILR mentor, Mr. Doyle also offered good advice on taking full advantage
of the MILR program at Cornell, tips for success, and courses he found especially
useful. He also gave me a chance to learn just how important communication
skills are in HR. Understanding the customer’s point of view and communicating
one’s own are critical skills to the human resource specialist. What I might think
is the best answer is not always the case for the customer. Again, these were
classroom lessons that became more “real” in the workplace.
After this invaluable experience, I decided to register for a Semester in
Manufacturing course, which requires me to spend the entire spring semester
with people from the engineering school and the business school. Doing several
projects with students who have never thought about human resource issues
is very challenging, but I believe I am learning critical soft skills such as building
team cohesiveness and communicating effectively. I hope these soft skills will
serve me well during my upcoming summer internship at GE Japan, which was
also developed through ILR’s wonderful alumni network. ■
24 ■ ILR Connections/Fall 2004 www.ilr.cornell.edu

Maximize your annual gift by
joining a giving society at Cornell.
As a member of a giving society you can help build the School of
Industrial and Labor Relations and Cornell to a level of fiscal strength
that is second to none.
Have you heard of giving societies but wondered what they are
and how they work? Giving societies at Cornell were created to encourage alumni
and friends to continue a high level of personal annual giving and to recognize
this accomplishment. Membership, an end in itself, is recognition for this annual
giving that so strongly benefits the university. Giving society members provide the
colleges and units at Cornell not only the security of annual cash flow but also a
margin of excellence. With a gift at the right amount, you automatically become
a member of a giving society at Cornell.
Did you know. . .?
• your annual gift designated to ILR counts toward membership in Cornell giving
societies.
• your gift to a particular project or program at ILR, such as the Fund for ILR
Faculty Excellence, counts toward membership in a Cornell giving society.
• your annual gift designated to ILR counts toward university totals for
fund-raising.
• your annual gift designated to ILR counts toward class totals in your reunion
year.
The Giving Societies at Cornell
Membership
President’s Circle
Annual Gift
$25,000 or more
Dean’s Circle $10,000 to $24,999
Tower Club $5,000 to $9,999
Quadrangle Club $1,000 to $4,999
Charter Society $500 to $999
Ivy Society
(for alumni 10 years or fewer from graduation)
$250 or more
Young Alumni Tower Club $2,500
(for alumni 10 years or fewer from graduation)
Cayuga Society: Recognizes donors who have made a planned gift to
Cornell University.
Annual gifts are the most important source of unrestricted funds for the
operating budget for the School of Industrial and Labor Relations and for Cornell.
They maintain a healthy cash flow and protect endowment. Gifts to the Cornell
Fund for ILR (those designated to come directly to ILR but unrestricted in use)
create faculty and program support, enhance the quality of the undergraduate
and graduate experience at ILR, enable the ILR School to preserve facilities and
avoid deferred maintenance, help to create state-of-the art teaching and research
technologies, and provide student support and support for creative initiatives.
Membership in a giving society at Cornell is the heart of annual financial support.
This university-level recognition can be achieved through gifts designated to ILR.
“In HR, you always advise your management
team to reward excellence,
and I’m proud to be giving Dean
Lawler the tools to do the same.
Since ILRie’s are achievementoriented
anyway, giving societies
enable us to give back to the School
at increasing levels, matching what
we’ve gotten out of it. As one of those
lucky few whose college education
actually prepared them for what they
do for a living, I feel fortunate that ILR
prepared me for the work world. And,
as a human resources practitioner
for 25 years, including many years in
compensation, I know how important
it is to recognize and reward superior
talent. That’s why I chose to direct
my giving to the Fund for Faculty
Excellence. ILR has a premier faculty
but can stay competitive only if we
support the research and programs
that make us number one in the field.”
—Nancy Sverdlik ’79
www.ilr.cornell.edu
ILR Connections/Fall 2004 ■