2008 Headlines
Nolan Scholarship brings veterans to the Johnson School
$1 million gift from Stephanie and Peter Nolan helps military recruitment efforts
December 16, 2008 | Ithaca, NY | Even before she could tie her shoes, Korean-born Kima McCoy knew she was an American. Her parents had made a point of inculcating in their daughter a profound patriotism and pride in the citizenship that conveyed through her father's U.S. Air Force service. Now thirty years old and a graduate of the Air Force Academy, McCoy has served two tours of duty in Afghanistan. This winter, the first-year MBA student will begin a third tour, in Iraq. "This isn't me serving out a prior commitment,' says the Air National Guard officer. "I like being a citizen soldier. It's part of my long-term life plan to have a civilian career and serve in a part-time capacity."
Veterans and active service members bring powerful leadership insights and maturity to the Johnson School, says admissions director Randall Sawyer. "Recruiters love our military men and women for the same reason we do," he says. "It's a lot of raw talent. They get molded by our immersion culture and make their way into companies where recruiters know exactly what they're getting: That person will stay at their desk until the work is done. They know how to take direction and lead teams and they apply their experience in the military to the workplace."
This year, Sawyer's recruitment efforts got a boost from a $1 million gift from Stephanie and Peter Nolan '80, MBA '82. "It's repaying a debt of gratitude for people's service to the country," says Nolan, a managing partner at the private equity firm Leonard Green Partners. "I used to be in investment banking and the people we hired who were ex-military were outstanding employees. I thought Cornell would benefit from that." With business schools nationwide ramping up their military recruitment, the scholarship promises to pay vital dividends at Cornell. "This gift gives us a great competitive edge," says Sawyer. "I can match an offer, or make coming here a very easy decision."
Manhattan-based investment banker Griff Norquist, MBA '03, enrolled at Cornell to build on his training with the Army's field artillery. "Veterans really need to be able to bone up on finance and accounting and the Johnson School is a great place for that," says the thirty-four-year-old West Point graduate. "The immersion at Cornell allows us to get up to speed as career-changers. I went into my internship with four or five accounting courses, versus the one I would have had at other schools."
After her tour in Iraq, Nolan Scholar McCoy will resume her studies as a member of the Class of 2011. This fall, Johnson School administrators briskly processed McCoy's request to withdraw mid-semester, after which she had seven weeks of additional military training. "I know I picked the right school, because they were so supportive," she says. "When I'm old and grey, I won't regret graduating with the class of 2011, and I will always remember that when the Air Force asked, I said yes, that there was a need and I stepped up."
