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 A bachelor in architecture from Cornell University in the US in 1962, Ratan Tata did not pursue an architecture career and, instead, started as an apprentice on a shop floor at Tata Steel, before building a $100 billion empire. 

He was a former Cornell trustee who became the university’s largest international donor – supporting scholarships, research to reduce rural poverty and malnutrition in India, and technology innovation.

Remembering him, Cornell University said in an article that Ratan Tata credited his Cornell architectural training for some of his success in business, including learning to approach problems creatively and from multiple perspectives.

"Ratan Tata has left an extraordinary legacy in India, across the world and at Cornell, which he cared about deeply," said Interim University President Michael I. Kotlikoff. "Ratan’s quiet demeanour and humility belied his international profile. His generosity and concern for others enabled research and scholarship that improved the education and health of millions of people in India and beyond, and extended Cornell’s global impact."

Cornell leaders, a team from Tata Consultancy Services and New York City officials cut the ribbon in 2017 to celebrate the naming of the Tata Innovation Center on the Cornell Tech campus on Roosevelt Island in New York City.

In 2008, a $50 million gift from the Tata Trusts created the Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition, a long-term research initiative, and endowed the Tata Scholarship for Students from India.

In 2017, a $50 million investment from Tata Consultancy Services helped build the Tata Innovation Center on Cornell Tech’s Roosevelt Island campus in New York City. From 2014-19, he served on the jury panel for the Pritzker Architecture Prize, one of the field’s top honours.

"The miles of tracing paper that all of us wasted on one concept after another did one thing: It taught us that we didn't stick with one thing," Ratan Tata said in a documentary produced by classmates for his 50th reunion in 2009. "We tried and we tried, and we improved, and we reconceived what we had to do. It’s no different in business."

"When Ratan Tata graduated from Cornell with a degree in architecture, it would have been impossible to imagine the global impact his visionary leadership, philanthropy and commitment to humanity would go on to have – advancing education and research across many sectors," said J. Meejin Yoon, the Gale and Ira Drukier Dean of College of Architecture, Art, and Planning (AAP).

"Looking back over Ratan's life and career, I am not only filled with gratitude for all he has given and accomplished, but also with a deep respect for his kindness, generosity and eternal optimism that has improved lives in India and around the world," Yoon noted.

Ratan Tata's engineering and design background was instrumental in Tata Motors' 2008 launch of the Tata Nano, then the world's most affordable production car, which sought to improve safety for lower-income drivers limited to motorcycles and scooters.

In the reunion documentary, Ratan Tata discussed his aversion to Ithaca winters, appreciation for his fraternity, Alpha Sigma Phi, and love of flying, a hobby he pursued as a student.

With several classmates on board, he once safely executed an emergency landing at what is now Ithaca Tompkins International Airport after a strut failed in the single-engine Tri-Pacer he was piloting.

He also discussed some of the challenges international students faced, at a time when few came from India – numbers his 2008 gift would boost. As of this academic year, 305 Tata scholarships have been awarded to 89 students from India, with a special emphasis on supporting students from "non-feeder" schools, helping to attract talented applicants and elevate the university’s profile there.

The Tata-Cornell Institute for Agriculture and Nutrition, meanwhile, continues to develop and assess innovative food systems-based approaches to reducing poverty and improving nutrition and livelihoods in the developing world, with a specific focus on India.

"What we're here today to recognise is not just the naming of a building, not just a new campus, but a very bold statement," Ratan Tata said at the building's dedication in 2017.