Cornell University is mourning the loss of Ratan Tata, the celebrated Indian industrialist and its largest international donor, who passed away at the age of 86. Tata, known for his transformative leadership as the chairman emeritus of the Tata Group, died on October 9 in Mumbai after battling illness for a long time. As a former trustee of Cornell, Tata made historic donations to support scholarships, technology innovations, and other causes, leaving an indelible mark on the university.
Ratan N. Tata, a respected alumnus of Cornell University and a highly regarded global leader, the driving force behind the Tata Group, tragically passed away late Wednesday night at Mumbai’s Breach Candy Hospital. He had been undergoing treatment for the past few days. Known for his strong commitment to philanthropy and social welfare, he devoted his life to making a positive impact on the lives of many, especially in India.
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As a former Cornell trustee and the university’s largest international donor, his contributions have positively impacted various areas, including scholarships, research aimed at reducing rural poverty and malnutrition in India, and technological innovation.
“Ratan Tata has left an extraordinary legacy in India, across the world, and at Cornell, which he cared about deeply,” said Interim President Michael I. Kotlikof. “Ratan’s quiet demeanor 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,” he added.
Ratan Tata, encouraged by family friends, enrolled at Cornell University as a mechanical engineering major for the class of 1959. However, he then switched to architecture after just two years. Although he returned to the family business, starting at Tata Steel, Tata later served on the jury for the prestigious Pritzker Architecture Prize from 2014 to 2019, according to the University’s website.
He said that his time studying architecture at Cornell really helped him in his business, especially when it came to coming up with creative solutions and seeing things from different angles. “The miles of tracing paper that all of us wasted on one concept after another did one thing: It taught us that we didn’t stick with one thing,” he said during a documentary shoot in 2009. “We tried and we tried, and we improved, and we reconceived what we had to do. It’s no different in business.”
According to the University, in 2008, Tata Trusts established the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition and provided $50 million to fund the Tata Scholarship for Students from India. In 2017, Tata Consultancy Services made another $50 million investment, which helped build the Tata Innovation Center at Cornell Tech on Roosevelt Island in New York City.
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Teams in Ithaca, Mumbai, and New Delhi collaborate across various fields, including economics, development sociology, and food science. Tata facilitated meetings between Cornell officials and senior Indian government leaders, including then-Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to enhance collaboration between Cornell and India.
“When Ratan Tata graduated from Cornell with a degree in architecture, it would have been impossible to imagine the global impact his visionary leadership, philanthropy, and commitment to humanity would go on to have – advancing education and research across many sectors,” said J. Meejin Yoon, the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of AAP.
“Looking back over Ratan’s life and career, I am not only filled with gratitude for all he has given and accomplished, but also with a deep respect for his kindness, generosity, and eternal optimism that has improved lives in India and around the world.”
Meanwhile, The Tata Innovation Center at Cornell Tech helps with learning, research, and working together with companies, helping students and recent grads turn their ideas into real products and businesses. His visionary leadership and generous philanthropic efforts have created a lasting legacy, shaping both the Tata Group and the nation itself.
