Cornellians who have served in the U.S. Military in times of war are honored by a number of memorials across campus. There are many sources of information about these memorials, we have attempted to gather that information here, facilitate your access to this information and map the locations of the memorials. As this information was gathered, we were surprised more than once to find out about additional memorials and welcome your feedback if you have any information about these memorials or have knowledge of other Veterans Memorials.
Many of the memorials are outdoors and are accessible 24 hours a day. Memorials that are indoors are generally available during normal business hours, we have listed open hours or contact information, where appropriate, so you can coordinate your visit in advance.
For more information, see the Army ROTC legacy page @ http://armyrotc.cornell.edu/the-legacy/
This information is brought to you by the Cornell University Veterans Colleague Network Group. To find out more about military activities on campus, join our listserv by contacting veterans@cornell.edu. You can also find veteran events listed on the Cornell University event calendar.
For some memorials we have quite a bit of information and for others we are still in the research phase. We have noted our sources in each section but a complete list of resources can be found on the resource page. If you have any additional knowledge or memories of these sites or other memorial sites, we invite you to contact the website administrator about adding it to this site.
Cornell’s Military History
The beginning of Cornell’s military history starts with the beginning of Cornell on April 27th, 1865, only 18 days after the end of the Civil War. Cornell University was founded as the New York State Land-grant College under the Morrill Land Grant Act of 1862 which, among other things, required teaching “military tactics” and Cornell’s Charter still explicitly includes it. The original charter is only occasionally brought out for special occasions, but the full text of the charter can be found online. [14][37]
While the Morrill Land Grant Act required that Cornell offer instruction in military science, it was Cornell’s first president Andrew Dickson White who made military training mandatory with the start of classes in 1868. He and others had seen first-hand the horrors that resulted from uneducated military leaders, and were intent on providing the highest level of education to future officers. Ezra Cornell himself had been caught in the first Battle of Bull Run while delivering medical supplies. The mandatory training requirement lasted nearly 100 years until the Fall Term of 1960 when, after much debate across campus, the Board of Trustees voted to make training voluntary. [58] Many of our earliest Cornellians were veterans of the Civil War and we have played a role in all our nation’s conflicts since. [38][60] The memorials spread across campus commemorate the service and sacrifice of Cornellians throughout our nation’s history. Thanks to the efforts of the Cornell Veterans Colleague Network, you can find a map of these memorials online. [15][16]
Cornell remains home to the Army, Navy, Marine, and Air Force ROTC programs. It is one of only three Ivy League schools that have offered continuous ROTC studies since WWI, and it is the only one to retain all of the branches of service. We have a distinguished record of commitment to serving our country. Our Tri-Service brigade boasts nearly 200 cadets and midshipmen today. The University also has a strong veteran community with more than 400 veterans across the students, faculty, and staff. [11]