David Duffield ’62, MBA ’64, namesake of Duffield Hall and founder of six tech companies, will return to campus on Sept. 4 to receive the Cornell Engineering Distinguished Alumnus Award and speak to students about his experiences in the tech industry.
This award, in its inaugural year, aims to recognize “individuals who have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and vision” in their field and “whose professional accomplishments brings pride and distinction to the College,” according to the award’s webpage.
Duffield, “one of Cornell Engineering’s most successful and influential alumni,” will be the first ever recipient of the award because of the strides he has made in the business management and software fields as well as his global philanthropy, according to a University press release.
Duffield founded and led PeopleSoft, a successful global enterprise software company, until it was acquired by Oracle for $10.3 billion in 2005.
Workday, Duffield’s current tech venture, manages “cloud-based applications for finance and HR,” according to the company’s website.
Cornell currently uses Workday as a human resources and employee management tool, which allows employees to view and keep track of personal information, such as payslips and hours worked.
A “deeply devoted Cornellian,” Duffield currently serves as a Presidential Councillor and was the primary donor for Duffield Hall and several Workday spaces across campus, according to the press release.
Following the inaugural award ceremony, Duffield will discuss his experiences creating and running tech companies, as well as share ideas for how students can break into the competitive industry.
The award ceremony and following conversation, which is open to the Cornell community, will be held in 101 Phillips Hall at 4 p.m. on Sept. 4. Lance Collins, the Joseph Silbert Dean of Engineering, will moderate with President Martha Pollack providing the introduction.