Celebration spotlight on Dolgen ’66 and Manfred ’80

Hundreds of ILR graduates, students, faculty, staff and others will gather tonight for the Groat and Alpern Celebration at The Pierre Hotel in New York City.

Jonathan L. Dolgen ’66 will receive the Jerome Alpern Award and Robert D. Manfred, Jr., ’80 will receive the 2016 Judge William B. Groat Alumni Award.

They were selected for the honors because of professional accomplishments and commitments to ILR and Cornell.

Dolgen has been a principal and senior consultant at Wood River Ventures, LLC, since September 2004 and has been a private investor since July 2004.

From April 1994 to July 2004, Dolgen served as the chairman and chief executive officer of the Viacom Entertainment Group, where his work included motion picture production and distribution, television production and distribution, and publishing.

He served as a senior adviser of Viacom Inc. from July 2004 to April 2010. From October 2006 to March 2008, he was an ArtistDirect, Inc., senior consultant.

Dolgen has been a member of the Cornell Major Gifts Committee since 2005. He is also a life member of Cornell University Council, after having served three terms.

He was a founder of the Friends of the Cornell University Theater Arts Center. In 2011, Jonathan and his wife, Susan Dolgen, were celebrated as Foremost Benefactors of Cornell in recognition of their lifelong dedication to the university.

He made it a personal priority to support his alma mater through both service and resources. ILR’s Extension Building became Dolgen Hall through his support, along with a dean’s fund to be used for the school’s most urgent priorities.

Manfred became Major League Baseball’s tenth commissioner in 2015.

Before that, he was the league’s chief operating officer, overseeing labor relations, baseball operations, baseball development, finance, administration and other areas. He began working with Major League Baseball in 1987.