Dear Alumni and Friends,
At the end of 2025, my service as Director of the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering will come to an end after 10 and a half years. It has been an honor — and a true joy — to lead this School’s exceptional faculty and staff. I have especially enjoyed the privilege of working with our students. They are curious, motivated, and bold in the way they approach the world’s most pressing engineering challenges. Their creativity in the classroom, their dedication in our laboratories, and their commitment to making a positive impact beyond Cornell have been a constant source of inspiration. Watching them grow into thoughtful engineers and leaders has been one of the greatest rewards of my time as director, and their achievements give me tremendous optimism for the future of our field.
I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that this year has brought unique challenges to the higher education landscape, including unprecedented volatility in funding and appreciation for university research. Our faculty and staff have demonstrated their resilience in recent months, and we have maintained our momentum, assisted by excellent guidance and support from the College and University and strengthened by our relationships with friends and alumni like you.
Your engagement and generosity enable hands-on learning experiences for our students, state-of-the-art labs and facilities for our faculty, and professional development opportunities for all members of our community. I cannot express how much your support has meant — and continues to mean — to me as Director. Together, as you will read more about in the stories collected here, we are truly making a difference for our students and for people far beyond our campus.
I have enjoyed meeting many of you at events like our annual alumni breakfast, and I look forward to continuing to participate in community events. I hope you are planning to join us at Reunion and other upcoming celebrations. It’s always such a treat to see Cornellians return to Ithaca from all over the world.
Thank you for being an important part of our School’s vibrant global community, as well as for your continued support for the future of civil and environmental engineering.
Best regards,
Linda Nozick
Professor and CEE Director