'We Will Remember His Legacy Of Transformative Giving': Cornell University's Tribute To Ratan Tata

Cornell University shared a touching tribute for its alumnus Ratan Tata, hours after the business tycoon died at a Mumbai Hospital late night on Wednesday. The former Tata Group chairman graduated from Cornell University, an Ivy League school in the US, with a degree in architecture and structural engineering in 1962. He initially pursued mechanical engineering at Cornell before moving to architecture.

“Ratan Tata '59, B.Arch. '62, the university's most generous international donor and one of India's most respected business leaders and philanthropists, passed Oct. 9. We will remember his legacy of transformative giving to Cornell," the university wrote in a post on X.

Remembering the legendary business tycoon, Michael I. Kotlikoff, the interim president of Cornell University, said, "Ratan's quiet demeanour and humility belied his international profile. His generosity and concern for others enabled research and scholarship that improved the education and health of millions of people in India and beyond, and extended Cornell's global impact."

Ratan Tata shared a deep connection with Cornell and was among the largest donors to the university. He was also a trustee of Cornell University. Ratan Tata funded scholarship and research on reducing rural poverty and malnutrition in India and technological innovation.

In 2008, the Tata Trust donated $50 million to set up the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition, a long-term research initiative, and to launch the Tata Scholarship for students from India.

As of this academic year, 305 Tata scholarships have been awarded to 89 students from India, “with a special emphasis on supporting students from ‘non-feeder’ schools."

The university received a $50 million investment from Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. for the Tata Innovation Center on Cornell Tech's Roosevelt Island campus in New York City.

The centre was conceptualised as a platform to offer space for education, research and interaction with industry partners. The Tata Innovation Center also provides opportunities to students and recent graduates to develop and commercialise new ideas and launch startups.