Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig
Nancy Meinig ’62 is a graduate of the College of Human Ecology, and an active and beloved alumna leader. After nearly two decades serving on Cornell University Council, she was named a Council Life member and Presidential Councillor in 2012. Nancy currently also serves on the Advisory Council for the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art, and the Johnson Museum’s Friends of Photography Acquisition Committee (FoPAC). The late Pete Meinig ’61 was a graduate of the College of Engineering, where he majored in Mechanical Engineering. Pete was an entrepreneur, investor, and philanthropist, as well as the founder and longtime CEO and Chairman of HM International, an investment holding company with diverse interests. He was named a Trustee Emeritus in 2012 after 21 years as a Trustee, including serving as Board Chair from 2002-2011. Pete was also a longtime member of the Weill Cornell Medicine Board of Fellows and Cornell University Council.
In addition to their lifelong and impactful volunteer service roles at the university, Nancy and Pete were also incredibly generous philanthropic supporters of Cornell – a legacy that Nancy carries on, alongside the Meinigs’ children. Pete and Nancy’s selfless investments in the university included a $50 million gift in 2015 to establish, endow, and name the Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering.
“The Meinig family has, for multiple generations, had a tremendous, multifaceted impact on Cornell Engineering, on Cornell University, and on our alumni community,” said Lynden Archer, the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering. “They embody the very best of what it means to be a Cornellian, and we are eternally grateful for their service, partnership and commitment to this exceptional institution.”
Lynden A. Archer Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering
It All Starts on the Hill
Nancy and Pete’s deep involvement in the Cornell community began as students in the late 1950s, with both of them highly active on campus. Pete played for the Varsity Football team, and was a member of Phi Gamma Delta. Nancy served as a Director for Orientation, a group of 300 students and faculty that oversaw orientation programming for first-year students. She was also a member of the Sage Chapel Choir, Kappa Kappa Gamma, and the Raven and Serpent Honor Society. Pete went on to serve his class’s 40th and 45th Reunion Campaigns, and Nancy served her class’s 40th, 45th, 50th, 55th, and 60th Reunion Campaigns. The couple shared a deep love for the Big Red from the very beginning, as well as a clear passion for strengthening the individuals and institutions close to their hearts. The Meinigs also instilled their passion for Cornell and building up their community in their daughters, Anne Meinig Smalling ’87, Kathryn Meinig Geib MBA ’93, and Sally Meinig Snipes’PA, who went on to join their parents in service and philanthropy to the university.
Weaving a Legacy of Volunteer Service, Generosity, and Big Red Spirit
Graduation didn’t interrupt the Meinigs’ involvement with the Big Red. In 1983, Pete joined Cornell University Council, which he remained involved with until his passing in 2017. In 1990, the Meinigs made one of the earliest of the family’s many significant philanthropic contributions, endowing the Meinig Family Professorship in Engineering. In 1991, Pete joined both the university’s Board of Trustees and became Vice President of his Class Council. The following year, Nancy joined Cornell University Council, as well as her Class Council (of which she served as Vice President from 1992-2002, and remains a remember today). Nancy and Pete made a transformative gift in 1998 to the Cornell National Scholar Program, which was renamed to the Meinig Family Cornell National Scholar Program in recognition of their impact. Nancy became a member of the President’s Council for Cornell Women (PCCW) in 2002, and Pete was named Board Chair that same year. Pete’s leadership as Chairman was described by his successor, Robert Harrison ’76, as truly remarkable. “He taught me what it really meant to act only and always in the best interest of the university,” said Harrison. “He led by example, placing his own family and his Cornell family at the forefront of his thoughts and actions.” In 2007 the Meinigs established the Nancy and Peter Meinig Family Investigatorships in the Life Sciences, which awards funding to faculty members in the College of Engineering to support their research initiatives for five years at a time.
When asked about their motivations for such a generous investment, Nancy said, “Pete and I were college sweethearts. … Romanticism is what brings a couple together but realism is what sees them through. Our gift is the product of our romantic attachment to our alma mater as well as a realistic assessment of how much we could stretch to help Cornell remain at the forefront of research and teaching.” In 2012, Pete was named a Trustee Emeritus, and both Pete and Nancy were named Presidential Councillors, lifetime members of Cornell University Council. That year also saw Nancy named a Sustaining Member of PCCW.
In 2015, Pete and Nancy made their historic commitment naming the Nancy E. and Peter C. Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering. It was the single largest gift to a college in Ithaca by individual donors at the time. “This gift is an incredible continuation of the Meinig family’s generosity to Cornell and will strengthen the university in countless ways, not the least of which is by enhancing research synergies between Ithaca and Weill Cornell,” then-President David Skorton said in 2015. “By its very nature, biomedical engineering bridges medicine, engineering and the basic sciences while addressing some of the most daunting health issues of our time. There is no more important investment the Meinigs could make.”
The gift came at the perfect time to enhance multidisciplinary science at Cornell, and fostered a freshly minted undergraduate major. To the Meinigs, their gift represented not only an investment in something they felt was important, but an example that they hoped others would follow. Pete shared his reflections, noting, “A big part of why we made this gift is to motivate other people to make gifts to biomedical engineering, Cornell Engineering and Cornell, large or small. There are many great opportunities to support and engage with the university.” The same year, Nancy and Pete were awarded Frank H.T. Rhodes Exemplary Alumni Service Awards, which are presented to alumni for exceptional service to Cornell.
The following year, Nancy further expanded her Cornell commitments, joining the Advisory Council for the Herbert F. Johnson Museum. She joined the Johnson Museum’s Friends of Photography Acquisition Committee (FoPAC) in 2021.
In 2022, the Meinig family was presented with the College of Engineering’s Distinguished Alumni Award for their decades of leadership, volunteer service, generosity, and countless contributions to advancing Cornell Engineering. In 2023, it was announced that the university would build a new indoor sports facility, which would be named the Meinig Fieldhouse in honor of the late Pete Meinig.
In celebration of the Meinig School of Biomedical Engineering’s 10th anniversary, the family reflected on the last ten years of growth and success, and their excitement for what the future holds. “Our family has watched with immense pride as the Meinig School has grown into a leader in biomedical engineering. We were understandably inspired by the powerful combination of faculty and student talent, and what fueling their work in biomedical engineering could mean on a global scale. It has been incredible to see that vision realized with the impact reaching far beyond campus, using the power of innovation and discovery to transform lives. We are honored to be a part of this journey and continue to be inspired and excited by the limitless possibilities that lie ahead for the Meinig School.”
Melia Matthews contributed to this page.