The Sam Seltzer ’48 Mentors Forum is a vast network that connects current Cornell students and recent alumni with scholars, advisors, and family business leaders for one-on-one mentoring and coaching sessions. Students have the exceptional opportunity to select their own agendas and interest areas for exploration during the time spent with their mentors. Cornell Family Business mentors are carefully selected to provide for a diversity of experience and expertise.
Firmly convinced that small business is the foundation of the U.S. economy, Sam Seltzer has been committed to personal enterprise throughout his life. In 1960, he founded Allison Corporation, a company that manufactures and sells a wide variety of automobile accessories with facilities in East Asia, Europe, and the United States. Allison was one of the first American companies to do business in Mainland China.
By the early 1980s, Sam came to recognize the need for undergraduate education in business skills, specifically for those young people wishing to join family enterprises or for those willing to make the commitment and to take the risks to start their own businesses. Thus, he became the founding chairman of Cornell PEP (Personal Enterprise Program); a program which began with one course in Business Planning, quickly grew to over 35 courses, mostly at the undergraduate level, and eventually merged into Entrepreneurship@Cornell (Entrepreneurship@Cornell). Continuing to serve on the Entrepreneurship@Cornell Advisory council, Sam Seltzer has provided consistent leadership and financial support for this program.
Mr. Seltzer’s involvement in business has not been limited to Allison. In 1954, he started one of the first manufacturing operations to be set up under the Puerto Rican government’s Operation Boot Strap. He was founder and an officer of the Commonwealth Manufacturers Association of Puerto Rico and the Plastic Manufacturers Association of Puerto Rico. The U.S. and Puerto Rican governments appointed him to serve on their respective committees to determine minimum wages for the island. From 1975-92, Sam Seltzer was also an officer and trustee of the Pension Fund of the United Furniture and Bedding Workers Union.
At Cornell, Sam Seltzer’s contributions have been extensive and varied. A life member of the University council, he is also a member of the Major Gifts committee. In the past, Mr. Seltzer served on the Trustee’s Proxy Advisory Committee on the Executive committee of the Cornell Alumni Association and was president of the Federation of Cornell Clubs. He helped form the Cornell Club of Hong Kong. Sam Seltzer’s great commitment to Cornell has been recognized when he was recently appointed Presidential Councilor.
In 1983, Mr. Seltzer established the Moses and Loulu Seltzer Endowment Fund in honor of his parents. Each year SF sponsors two or three events on campus which bring leaders in personal enterprise to speak to and meet with students. He supports the Lam Family Research Awards, the Frank & Rosa Rhodes Scholarship, the Medical College Fund, and the Judaica Collection, as well as other programs on campus.
2022 Sam Seltzer ’48 Mentors Forum
The 2022 Sam Seltzer ’48 Mentors Forum took place on Friday, April 22nd at the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island.
“It was a pleasure to be a part of the Mentor’s Forum last year. I was amazed to see the depth and breadth of experiences that the mentors brought with them. Having personal conversations with owners of other family businesses and with family business consultants came as a great learning experience, and I was surprised by the kind of support that the mentors provided during the forum and after. This is has been one of my best experiences at Cornell.”
Kshitij Mutha, MBA ’20, President, Family Business Club
Common discussion topics among mentees
Students are increasingly seeking out opportunities to interact with family business industry leaders on a variety of topics, including:
New business opportunities
Career opportunities
Returning, or not returning, to the family business
The role of women in their family’s business
Leadership
New perspectives
Succession planning
Family wealth and values
Conflict
Family office and governance
Family enterprise advising and the role of consultants
Legal considerations in family business
Eligible student participants
The Mentors Forum is open to all current Cornell students and recent alumni who have graduated within the past five years.
Take advantage of a wealth of information from senior family business leaders and advisors in a one-on-one setting.
Serving as a mentor or coach
You can have an impact on the lives of our students and the next generation of family business leaders.
For more information about serving as a Cornell Family Business mentor, please contact our executive director.
“I’m so glad I was able to attend. I got some fantastic advice and will definitely be in touch with the folks I spoke to. This could not have come at a better time for me, as my mom is looking to start formal succession talks next week.” — Mentors Forum Participant
“I have learned more than I could have ever imagined. Counting all the incredible takeaways would be impossible. I hope to keep alive my relationships with very valuable mentors and new friendships.”
