In front of several thousand graduates and family members, Xerox Corp. Chairman and CEO Anne Mulcahy delivered the University of Rochester College Commencement address today and also announced a $1 million gift to the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center.
"The Xerox family—like families everywhere—has been touched by cancer," said Mulcahy. "To honor those who have fought the good fight and inspired us with their courage—and to help the University in its ongoing efforts to provide excellent care for people with cancer and find a cure—we are committing today $1 million to the Wilmot Cancer Center." She stood with University President Joel Seligman, Xerox President and University Trustee Ursula Burns, and other dignitaries on the platform for the 158th College of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering commencement.
Xerox pledged the funds as part of the James P. Wilmot Cancer Center's $42.5 million campaign. The Wilmot Cancer Center's new building was dedicated May 15, and the new lobby will be named in recognition of Xerox.
"We are honored to have Xerox as a partner in the effort to further cancer research and clinical care programs here in Rochester," Seligman said of the gift. "This gift not only ensures that first-rate cancer treatment will be available for the more than 7,600 local Xerox employees and their families, but for all those in the region who come to the Wilmot Cancer Center for care."
After Mulcahy concluded her advice to graduates in her address, she praised the University as a model of innovation. "You hate the status quo and are always searching for new initiatives, new breakthroughs and new discoveries—and always in the service of humanity," she said.
The expanded Wilmot Cancer Center nearly doubles clinical and research space, consolidates outpatient cancer care and research laboratories in a single location, supports the recruitment of more scientists, and builds translational research programs to find cures.
Speaking of the gift, Dr. Richard I. Fisher, director of the Wilmot Cancer Center, said: "This new facility provides our patients an environment that mirrors the quality and excellence that they expect and receive from Wilmot doctors. It raises the bar for cancer care in Rochester."