New travel grant gives female A&S students opportunity to explore the world

Ruth Bierman Linnick ‘60 loved to travel, to learn and to teach. Her children, Mitch Linnick MIL ’94 and Cindy Goldstein, along with family and friends, have established the Ruth Bierman Linnick ’60 Memorial Travel Fund as a tribute to these lifelong pursuits.

The endowed fund will provide grants of up to $5,000 to female undergraduates in the College of Arts & Sciences with demonstrated financial need and the desire to travel for pleasure, adventure and exploration.

“Cornell was important to my mom. To quote her, before moving to Ithaca, she had 'barely been outside of New York City,’ “ Mitch Linnick said. “Cornell expanded her world view. She met my father (Stuart Linnick ‘59) there and made lifelong friendships.”

A math major and dedicated teacher after graduation from Cornell, Ruth Linnick taught mathematics at Bronx High School of Science, where she had been valedictorian. She later volunteered in a variety of educational capacities, including work with literacy programs, as a docent at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and as an oral history interviewer, including work with Steven Spielberg’s Survivors of the Shoah Project.She also held a lifetime board member position with Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles.

Along the way, Ruth Linnick became an experienced and enthusiastic world traveler. She often took multiple extended trips in a year, continuing to amaze her family and friends by her endless appetite to visit new places and learn about other cultures, Mitch Linnick said.

Ruth Linnick passed away in March of this year at age 77. Mitch Linnick said the family is excited that Cornell eagerly embraced their desire to honor Ruth’s love of travel and the development of global citizens with this unique grant.

The first grants will be awarded for travel in the summer of 2018, with applications available in mid-spring of 2018. Information about the application process will be posted on the college website in the spring and distributed through student, faculty and staff newsletters.

Photo Provided
Ruth Bierman Linnick on one of her many adventures.