Join the Lofty Elm Society

“By lofty elm trees shaded round,
Tioghnioga near;
Our grand old Cortland College stands,
To all of us how dear.”

The Lofty Elm Society honors those who have remembered Cortland in their wills or through planned gifts.

The importance of these future gifts in support of the College cannot be underestimated.

Beyond the satisfaction of positively impacting future generations of Cortland students, members of the Lofty Elm Society will also receive invitations to special events and annual recognition in College publications.

Their generosity will also be acknowledged with a beautiful Lofty Elm Society lapel pin recognizing their commitment to their alma mater.

The society receives its name from the first verse in the Alma Mater, which was written nearly a century ago when many Elm trees surrounded the Cortland Normal School in its former location in downtown Cortland.

Today many majestic “lofty” elm trees continue to grace the College around Old Main, Brockway Hall, and the Miller Building.

Planned gifts that qualify for membership in the Lofty Elm Society include naming the Cortland College Foundation as a beneficiary of your will, retirement plan, life insurance, or trust; gifts of real estate, such as a home, vacation home, or farm through a retained life estate; and the charitable gift annuity.

There is no minimum gift requirement.

“When years and service prove our worth
We’ll homeward turn toward thee
And fondly hope that thy ‘Well done’
Our sweet reward may be.”

—Ulysses Axtell, Author, SUNY Cortland’s Alma Mater