• Recognized level of success
• Demonstrated commitment to Cornell
• Acknowledgment of the importance of higher education
• Strong integrity and exemplary conduct
• Broad compositional diversity
• The satisfaction of both broad and specific needs of the board

• Interpersonal ability in both one-on-one and group settings
• Good judgment and strong analytical aptitude
• Fervent yet not dogmatic convictions
• Proven leadership
• Vision and perspective, and the ability to articulate them
• Common sense and pragmatism

• Ability to put the university ahead of special interests or constituencies
• Undivided allegiance
• Availability to attend all the meetings and participate in committee work
• Collegiality (i.e., shares ideas and decision-making)
• Ongoing commitment to offering financial support to Cornell

2026 Alumni Trustee Election: Nominations for CATN review are open July 1, 2024 through June 1, 2025. 

• Alumni trustee nominations for CATN consideration may be submitted by any member of the Cornell community—including self-nominations, by alumni for their peers, and by staff, students, and friends of the university.
• Review the nomination criteria and position description for alumni-elected trustee. The position description includes information on additional eligibility criteria, desired skills, and duties if elected.
• Submit a nomination using the online form. Complete all required fields on the nominations form including name and class year of nominee, NetID (if known), your name and NetID as the nominator, and answers to the required questions.
• CATN will review all nominations received from summer through fall of each year for the upcoming February election.

2026 Alumni Trustee Election: Petition process is open June 2 through August 1, 2025. 

• An alumni trustee nominee may be placed on the ballot through self-nomination and petitioning Cornell alumni for signatures.
• Review the nomination criteria and position description for alumni-elected trustee. The position description includes information on additional eligibility criteria, desired skills, and duties if elected.
• Petitioning candidates must register their candidacy with Alumni Affairs and obtain alumni signatures in the amount of at least 0.25 percent of the contactable Cornell alumni population (rounded to the nearest 50).
• Submitted petitions must include the first and last name of the alumnus/a, the last name of the alumnus/a when a student, the class year and NetID of the alumnus/a, email address and physical mailing address of the alumnus/a, and their signature.
• Petitions must be conducted through a platform provided by Cornell that supports signature collection. Submissions will be validated by Alumni Affairs and signatures will be rejected if they are lacking any of the required fields on the petition form or if no alumni record can be found.

Timeline and signature requirement for the 2026 Alumni Trustee Election:

• The minimum signature requirement to achieve a place on the 2026 Alumni Trustee Election ballot is: 750 signatures (based on 309,375 contactable Cornell alumni as of May 9, 2025)
• Signatures may be gathered once the CATN nomination period closes and must be submitted to Alumni Affairs prior to the first CATN meeting of the given year. This year’s dates are:
  • June 2, 2025, 9:00 a.m. EDT: Petition opening date
  • August 1, 2025, 5:00 p.m. EDT: Petition closing date
• Contact Alumni Affairs at electalumtrustee@cornell.edu to register as a prospective candidate.