Page 4 - 2020 Virtual International Symposium

Dr. Clifton R. Wharton, Jr.

Dr. Clifton R. Wharton, a true inspiration for the
SMART Program, is best known and celebrated for
his pioneering work in philanthropy, foreign service
and development, business and academia. As a man
of ‘many firsts,’ he attended Harvard University at
the age of 16, went on to study at the School of

Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins,
and received a doctorate in Economics from the
University of Chicago.

In his professional and personal journey, Dr.
Wharton has modeled what we want to see in our
Cornell students. His academic achievements,
complimented by his many years of service - across public and private sectors and
several continents - are worth emulating. In academia, Dr. Wharton has served as

the Chairman and CEO of TIAA-CREF, President of Michigan State University,
and Chancellor of the State University of New York, among others. Within the
private sector, Dr. Wharton served as the Director of the New York Stock
Exchange, Chairman of the Rockefeller Foundation, and as an officer with the
Agricultural Development Council.

Having done a sabbatical at Cornell University many years ago, Dr. Wharton is an

unwavering pillar of the SMART program through the Dr. Clifton R. Wharton, Jr.
Emerging Markets Award and financial support. As the 2020 SMART students
commit to making the world a better place by serving through business, may they
keep in mind the importance of:

“...striving for excellence in every arena, being constantly

prepared to listen and learn, maintaining integrity, and always

trying to act humanely and compassionately.”

Source: Dr. Wharton’s Autobiography, Privilege and Prejudice, 2015, p. 534 (Wharton Books)