KAUST Symposium
Dr. Frank H. T. Rhodes
Former Member, KAUST International Advisory Council
President Emeritus, Cornell University
United States
When Dr. Frank H.T. Rhodes retired as president of Cornell University on June 30, 1995, he was the longest-serving Ivy League president and a national advocate for education and research. He played a significant role in the development of national science policy under several presidents. Dr. Rhodes is president emeritus and professor emeritus of geological sciences at Cornell. At commencement ceremonies in 1995, the Cornell Board of Trustees announced that the Cornell Theory Center building was renamed Frank H.T. Rhodes Hall. During his tenure as Cornell's president, research funding more than tripled, from $88 million in 1977 to more than $300 million in 1993. Asian studies, supercomputing, biotechnology, and nanofabrication were four major initiatives. In addition, a successful $1.5 billion capital campaign was completed. New buildings and facilities that were built during his presidency include the supercomputing center, the Statler teaching hotel, the biotechnology building, the center for theater arts, the nanofabrication laboratory, athletic facilities, and many others.
Dr. Rhodes holds 35 honorary degrees and is the recipient of the Bigsby Medal of the Geological Society, the Justin Morrill Award, the Higher Education Leadership Award, the Clark Kerr Medal of the University of California-Berkeley, and the Ian Campbell Medal of the American Geological Institute. He is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and currently serves as president of the American Philosophical Society.
Dr. Rhodes is a graduate of the University of Birmingham, England, from which he holds four degrees. He is a former Fulbright scholar and Fulbright distinguished fellow, a National Science Foundation senior visiting research fellow, a life fellow of Clare Hall, Cambridge, a visiting fellow of Trinity College, Oxford, and an honorary fellow of Robinson College, Cambridge, and the University of Wales.