Joan and Sanford I. Weill Agree to Boost Capital Campaign at Weill Cornell Medical College With $170 Million Cash Payment of Pledge

History of Leadership and Support
To date, Joan and Sanford I. Weill and the Weill Family Foundation have given more than $500 million to Cornell University. Their gift helped the Medical College's capital campaign reach beyond the halfway point of its $1.3 billion goal only eight months after its start. The Weills also are giving an additional $50 million to Cornell University to help fund the Life Sciences Technology Building, which was completed in 2008. In recognition of their generosity, the building has been named Weill Hall. The Weills' donation is the largest single gift Cornell University has ever received.

Mr. Weill is chairman of the Board of Overseers of Weill Cornell Medical College and Graduate School of Medical Sciences, having served as a member since 1982. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, the Medical College's chief clinical partner.

Discoveries That Make a Difference
The Campaign for Weill Cornell Medical College, "Discoveries That Make a Difference," will raise an unprecedented $1.3 billion in private philanthropy to translate the findings of basic science into the most advanced treatments for patients as quickly as possible. In the 21st century, the most profound discoveries in medical science will occur at the intersection of disciplines and through the collaboration of new ideas. Discoveries will fund a bold strategic plan including paradigm-shifting initiatives in biomedical research, medical education, and patient care to advance global health and well-being. The Discoveries Campaign leverages the synergies created by Weill Cornell's partnerships with NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, The Rockefeller University, The Methodist Hospital-Houston, as well as Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, and through our work in global health in Tanzania and Haiti. The Campaign will support the recruitment and retention of the very best faculty, doubling our existing research space with the construction of a new biomedical research building, and expanding programs in 10 discrete areas: cancer; cardiovascular medicine; obesity, diabetes and metabolic disorders; neurodegenerative, neuropsychiatric diseases and aging; stem cell, developmental biology, regenerative and reproductive medicine; global health and infectious diseases; molecular therapeutics; children's health; education; and collaborative opportunities with our Ithaca campus.

Weill Cornell Medical College
Weill Cornell Medical College, Cornell University's medical school located in New York City, is committed to excellence in research, teaching, patient care and the advancement of the art and science of medicine, locally, nationally and globally. Weill Cornell, which is a principal academic affiliate of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, offers an innovative curriculum that integrates the teaching of basic and clinical sciences, problem-based learning, office-based preceptorships, and primary care and doctoring courses. Physicians and scientists of Weill Cornell Medical College are engaged in cutting-edge research in areas such as stem cells, genetics and gene therapy, geriatrics, neuroscience, structural biology, cardiovascular medicine, transplantation medicine, infectious disease, obesity, cancer, psychiatry and public health -- and continue to delve ever deeper into the molecular basis of disease in an effort to unlock the mysteries of the human body in health and sickness. In its commitment to global health and education, the Medical College has a strong presence in places such as Qatar, Tanzania, Haiti, Brazil, Austria and Turkey. Through the historic Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar, the Medical College is the first in the U.S. to offer its M.D. degree overseas. Weill Cornell is the birthplace of many medical advances -- including the development of the Pap test for cervical cancer, the synthesis of penicillin, the first successful embryo-biopsy pregnancy and birth in the U.S., the first clinical trial of gene therapy for Parkinson's disease, the first indication of bone marrow's critical role in tumor growth, and most recently, the world's first successful use of deep brain stimulation to treat a minimally conscious brain-injured patient. For more information, visit www.med.cornell.edu.