On October 21, 2017, Laurie Berke-Weiss was honored to be awarded the Frank H. T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award from Cornell University. Established in 1994 by the Board of Trustees Committee on Alumni Affairs, this prestigious award honors alumni who have demonstrated extraordinary service through long-term volunteer activities and leadership within Cornell’s various alumni organizations.
A selection committee chooses honorees from candidates, proposed by Cornellians, who serve on Alumni organizations. Laurie was chosen because of her significant contributions to the ILR School as a past President and longtime member of the ILR Alumni Association Board and of the ILR Dean’s Advisory Council. She worked closely with ILR deans Harry Katz and Edward Lawler. Laurie is now an emerita member of the Advisory Council, working with Dean Kevin Hallock. She also continues to support the Alumni Association and its officers.
For many years, Laurie has supported the school’s young alumni association and internship programs. She has assisted students through the Career Services Office, as well as sponsoring ILR undergraduates as interns in her law firm. Laurie supported mentoring programs for undergraduates and graduate students as a member of the President’s Council for Cornell Women, of which she is now a sustaining member. While on the Cornell University Council, Laurie served as a member of the Student and Academic Services Committee and the Career Services Committee, as well as on the administrative board.
Finally, Laurie is vice president and nominating chair for the Class of 1971. She was class president from 2007 to 2011 and filled other class leadership roles as well, including serving on her 30th, 40th, and 45th Reunion campaigns. Laurie’s family and friends gathered in Ithaca to celebrate the occasion, and to support her and the other honorees.
