Johnson 75th

Access & Impact  The Black and Hispanic Graduate Business Students Association focused on ensuring members’ academic and social well-being and networking for job seekers when it launched in 1980. In 1987, the club expanded its mission to actively increase recruitment of underrepresented students.

Nobel Laureate Founds Research Center The Behavioral Economics Decision Research Center was founded in 1989 by Cornell economics professor Richard Thaler, who was named a Nobel Laureate in economics in 2017. Often cited as the birthplace of behavioral economics, the interdisciplinary center was codirected by Cornell economics professor Robert H. Frank, who joined Johnson’s faculty in 1990.

Funny Business  Business school is serious; the Follies is not. The Follies variety show is the Johnson community’s annual opportunity to publicly spoof all that they know and love about Johnson. Created in 1980 by Johnson classmates Cynthia Wilson Massarsky and Barry M. Massarsky, both MBA ’81, the Follies showcases both live performances and prerecorded videos produced by students, faculty, and staff.

Professional Expertise In 1979, Maureen O’Hara joined the faculty. She became the first tenured female faculty member and served as the Robert W. Purcell Professor of Finance. A leader in market microstructure, she authored the classic, Market Microstructure Theory (1995). In 2002, O’Hara became the first woman to lead the American Finance Association and has since served as president of the Financial Management Association, the International Atlantic Economic Society, and the Society for Financial Studies.

Engaging Alumni The first issue of Executive was published in 1974. The alumni magazine was later renamed Cornell Enterprise.

Transforming Sage Hall for a Modern Education Having outgrown Malott Hall, in 1993 Johnson undertook extensive renovations of Sage Hall and transformed it into a modern business school. An exoskeleton supported the multicolored brick walls of the Victorian Gothic structure while the building’s interior was demolished and a new building was constructed within it.

Leadership Matters Nelson Schaenen Jr. ’50, MBA ’51, managing director of Weiss, Peck & Greer, was appointed to the Cornell Board of Trustees in 1971 and served for 24 years. He co-chaired the $38 million campaign to fund the renovation of Sage Hall. He was elected a Cornell Presidential Councillor in 1995 and served on the Johnson Advisory Council for 38 years. He is recognized in Johnson’s Hall of Honor and received the Samuel C. Johnson Distinguished Service Award in 2016.

Building Diversity in Finance In 1994, Johnson partnered with the Robert Toigo Foundation’s MBA program for underrepresented students planning to pursue careers in finance and who are enrolled in a two-year MBA program.

Opening Doors  In 1971, B&PA became a founding member of the Council for Opportunity in Graduate Management Education (COGME), an initiative to provide fellowships for underrepresented MBA students

Marketing Genius Vithala Rao joined the faculty in 1970 as the Deane Malott Professor of Management. He is renowned for his work on marketing research, conjoint analysis, and multidimensional scaling. Deane Malott was the 6th president of Cornell and the namesake for Malott Hall.