ITHACA, NY (607NewsNow) – Cornell has received $55 million from an alumnus.

The gift from Stephen Ashley ’62, MBA ’64, establishes the Ashley School of Global Development and the Environment in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS).

University officials say Ashley, chairman and CEO of a Rochester-based property management firm, has given more than 50 years of service to Cornell.

“Steve Ashley’s decades of leadership, advocacy, and support for Cornell have had a profound impact on the university,” said President Michael Kotlikoff. “This investment to create the Ashley School is both timely and visionary, allowing us to bring together the expertise in agricultural, life, environmental, and social sciences that underpin environmental and human well-being locally and globally. We are so grateful to Steve for his generosity, partnership, and friendship.”

Ashley spent 55 years on the University Council, 16 years on the Cornell Board of Trustees, and 10 years as co-chair of the Far Above capital campaign. He received the Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Award in 2016. It’s Cornell’s highest award for alumni service.

“My family has had a strong, multigenerational relationship with Cornell,” said Ashley. “I met my wife, Janice, at Cornell, and over the years, Cornell has influenced much of my personal and professional life. I am delighted to be able to support this initiative, which has been so thoughtfully framed and structured. I appreciate how it creates even stronger collaborations between agriculture, environmental science, economics, and research to positively impact communities.”

The gift is the largest in AG school history. Read more from the Cornell Chronicle here.