My Journey to Start an Honor Society Chapter at Cornell

Greetings, everyone. My name is James Rowe, and I am a second-year JD candidate at Cornell Law School interested in starting an Honor Society chapter at Cornell. I am a nontraditional student being 39 years of age, and possess a diverse background of experiences, both professional and academic. Prior to law school, I completed an MBA at Cornell Johnson Graduate School of Management, an MPA at Harvard John F. Kennedy School of Government, an MA in political science at Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and a BA in political science at George Washington University School of Arts and Sciences. I am not finished with my educational endeavors, and I am eager to pursue doctoral studies in political science right here at Cornell. Professionally, I have served in the United States Marine Corps in unique roles at the U.S. Embassies in Berlin, Germany and Belgrade, Serbia (where I was married). Additionally, I have spent an amazing amount of time consulting for the Departments of Defense and State as a consultant at Booz Allen Hamilton and providing financial advisory services to consumer and retail clients as a mergers and acquisitions investment banker, most notably while employed at HSBC. I am a passionate long-distance runner and swimmer, and I love to compete in triathlons. Finally, and most importantly, I owe much of my success to my wife, Suzana, of 14 years.

My personal view of leadership is that it describes an ability to accomplish a common goal in a cordial and professional manner where everyone with a stake in the goal leaves with a sense of positive accomplishment. Leadership styles change, depending on the environment in which one finds themselves (i.e., a leader in combat must operate with a hierarchical style, while a leader in student government is better served using a facilitating approach), but the objective should always be the same.

My interest in creating an Honor Society chapter at Cornell University is to provide our graduate and undergraduate students, alumni, and other community supporters with more opportunities to cross-collaborate, expand their networks, and grow intellectually and professionally. I want a Cornell chapter to grow, so that it can support multiple subchapters that focus on the unique interests of a diverse community. While I have other ideas, I will stop with one last priority, and that is to assist graduate and professional students enjoy the best experience possible at Cornell through our efforts as an individual assembly and as a component of a broader group of assemblies composed of leadership, faculty, staff, and students. Stated differently, I want to start an Honor Society chapter at Cornell to make our community a better place to live and grow.

Thank you!