Narrator: In Cornell University's 160-year history, very few alumni have had the impact Ratan Tata has. 

His Cornell journey began in 1955 in the College of Engineering, although he would later transfer and graduate from the College of Architecture, Art and Planning. He credited his architectural training for instilling in him the design thinking that contributed to his success as one of the world's most 
renowned and respected industrialists.

In addition to serving as a Cornell trustee for 16 years, Mr. Tata became the university's largest international donor, helping to advance three significant investments that have influenced Cornell's direction and impact.

Robert S. Harrison: I cannot think of any Cornellian whose stature is as global and whose impact both philanthropic and from a business perspective is as great as Ratan Tata's.

J. Meejin Yoon: He had a very expansive perspective of architecture that it was not just about building but really addressing challenges, constraints in a way that improves the human condition. He talks about rolling out a large piece of trace and learning that there are multiple approaches and perspectives to solving any problem and how important it is to both be iterative but to really have a North Star to understanding what you're solving for.

Irwin M. Jacobs: He was just very pleasant to work with, very nice gentlemen, entrepreneurial, fast acting when he needed to, willing to take the risks, although he did want to get some evidence that those risks were worthwhile taking.

Narrator: In 2008, a $50 million commitment from the Tata Trusts created two programs that endure today. The Tata Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition, which advances research to reduce rural poverty and malnutrition in India. And the Tata Scholarship for Students from India, which has supported the education of nearly 90 Indian young people since its inception.

Prabhu Pingali: The Tata Cornell Institute is a standalone research center, which is part of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell. And we focused on addressing the problems of malnutrition and rural poverty. We have academic partners, NGO partners, and other research think tanks that we work with in India. And all of our students spend a year in India doing field-based research. That way our students are addressing real-life problems, but with the rigor and the analytical excellence that Cornell can provide.

Yash Moitra: The scholarship can be transformational for people, for individuals, and for families, and even for entire communities at times when they alleviate financial burdens. As a matter of fact, when I received the email from Cornell saying that I'd been awarded this scholarship, the first person I called was my grandmother. And I congratulated her on the fact that we wouldn't have to sell her house anymore for me to go to college.

Meet Baani Kaur: I realized that I would get to know so much more about him by going to the place where he actually studied. So now that I'm here, I get to know about Mr. Tata and all that he did during his years at Cornell. I understand him more as a person, and I realize how I can also be like him. I know because he gave me the scholarship and he changed my life, literally. I am inspired to be somebody like him, and hopefully in the future also fund other students' education.

Narrator: In 2017, at Ratan Tata's encouragement, Tata Consultancy Services invested $50 million in the university's new, path-breaking Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City. In recognition, Cornell named the Tata Innovation Center, one of the campus's signature buildings and a hub for commercializing new ideas, technologies, products, and startups. 

Greg Morrisett: The Tata Innovation Center is central to the Cornell Tech campus, and it started off as a conceptual bridge between academia and the commercial world. With respect to our mission at Cornell Tech, it's to really build out the tech ecosystem here in New York City, and having commercial partners side by side with our students and our faculty is something that the Tata Innovation Center was really created to help foster in.

Narrator: Ratan Tata was revered at Cornell for his leadership, his giving, and for the admiration he inspired in our students and alumni. His Cornell story and legacy will continue in the lives that he touches through his formative investments in teaching and research, innovation, and global impact.

Robert S. Harrison: He truly is in category by himself among Cornellians throughout our history. It is a privilege to have served as a trustee with him, and it is a privilege to have known him as a friend.

Greg Morrisett: His legend, his example, really sets a tone for our students, and they know him, and they know his background in philanthropy and his support and his excellence as a businessman. They want to emulate him.

Yash Moitra: I consider it my moral imperative that if I ever get to the stature that Mr. Tata got to, or even close, I would love to recreate some of this with someone else. And I wish that Mr. Tata would have been here today to see where we are. And I hope that we can do his legacy some fraction of justice.