Four New Cornell Endowed Chairs Announced

May 5, 2004

Rollins College has announced the appointment of four new endowed chairs, which were made possible by the recently announced generous bequest to the College from the late George Cornell. Cornell, a 1935 graduate of the college and a Rollins trustee for more than 20 years, and his wife, Harriet Wilkes Cornell, made unprecedented leadership gifts to the college during their lives. 

President Rita Bornstein will become George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Professor of Philanthropy and Leadership Development, following the conclusion of her tenure as Rollins' 13th President on July 31, 2004. After a one-year sabbatical, Bornstein will devote her attention to the college's various leadership education programs.

Bornstein was elected president in April 1990, and her 14-year term has been marked by exceptional growth in the College's national reputation, qualifications of students and faculty, enrollments, facilities, endowment, and overall financial health.

A recognized expert on leadership, philanthropy, and higher-education governance, Bornstein received B.A. and M.A. degrees in English literature from Florida Atlantic University, and the Ph.D. in educational leadership from the University of Miami. Her most recent book, Legitimacy in the Academic Presidency: From Entrance to Exit was published by the ACE/Praeger Series on Higher Education Series in the fall of 2003. She is currently working on her next book.

Richard E. Foglesong has been named George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Professor of Politics. Foglesong has been a member of the Rollins faculty since 1984. 

His latest book, Married to the Mouse: Walt Disney World and Orlando, was published by Yale University Press in 2001. He received a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to support his research on Married to the Mouse, which drew praise in The New York Times and The New Yorker, as well as appearances on CBS and BBC television, among other places. Foglesong is also the author of Planning the Capitalist City, published by Princeton University Press, and co-editor of The Politics of Economic Adjustment. He earned his Ph.D. in political science at the University of Chicago and has taught at Amherst College and U.C.L.A., where he was the Harvey Perloff Professor of Urban Planning in 1990. Last year he taught in the American Studies Program at Hong Kong University as a Fulbright Fellow. Last year Foglesong also became the first recipient of Rollins' Bornstein Award for Faculty Scholarship, honoring a faculty member who brings national recognition to the college. Highly visible in the Orlando community, he is a frequent political commentator in the news media, and has served on numerous boards and commissions, including the Maitland Planning and Zoning Commission.

James M. Higgins has been named George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Professor of Innovation Management. Higgins has been a member of the Rollins faculty since 1980 and is currently president of the Faculty of the Roy E. Crummer Graduate School of Business. Higgins is a well-respected teacher and author, who writes frequently about innovation. His areas of specialization also include organizational behavior and strategic management.

Higgins earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Emory University, and a master's degree in accountancy and a Ph.D. in management from Georgia State University. Prior to joining the Crummer School, Higgins taught at Auburn University, Metropolitan State University and Georgia State University. He has authored six textbooks on management, business strategy, and organizational behavior, including the best-selling The Management Challenge. He is also the author of five trade books on creativity and innovation including 101 Creative Problem Solving Techniques, Innovate or Evaporate, and Escape from the Maze. Higgins' research has been published in a number of professional journals such as Organizational Dynamics, Strategy & Leadership, Business Horizons, and the Journal of Change Management. Since 1973, he has served as a management consultant to major businesses where he works primarily in strategic planning, corporate innovation and leadership training.

Margaret A. McLaren has been named George D. and Harriet W. Cornell Professor of Philosophy. McLaren has been a member of the Rollins faculty since 1992. In addition to teaching in the Department of Philosophy and Religion, she has been involved in the women's studies program and has produced outstanding scholarship. Her areas of specialization include 20th-century European philosophy, ethics, and feminist theory. She received her Bachelor of Philosophy degree from Miami University (of Ohio) and M.A. and Ph.D. from Northwestern University.

Since the beginning of Bornstein's presidency in 1990, the number of endowed chairs has grown from nine to 30, enabling the College to attract and retain stellar faculty in every area. "A named professorship is an endorsement of intellectual achievement, teaching excellence, and dedication to learning," Bornstein has said previously. "For the College, endowed chairs are a means of recognizing and attracting talented faculty. There is no more valuable gift to an institution."