Bigger News: Cornell Rumored to Win!!

Here is the text of a WSJ article that was posted tonight on WSJ Online.  Cornell wins!!  Game changer for us and NYC.  Wow!!

Article:  Cornell Wins Contest For City Tech Campus

Mayor Michael Bloomberg plans to announce on Monday that Cornell University won the high-profile competition to build a new applied-science campus in New York City, people familiar with the decision confirmed Sunday.

The announcement comes three days after Stanford University unexpectedly withdrew from the competition following tense negotiations with the Bloomberg administration. Stanford’s sudden exit left Cornell as the clear favorite, and Mr. Bloomberg plans Monday afternoon to make it official.

On Friday, in a huge sign of support for Cornell’s bid, the university said it had received a $350 million anonymous donation toward building the campus, the largest gift in the university’s history.

Mayoral advisers are hopeful the campus will be a legacy project for Mr. Bloomberg, who has struggled in his third term with a series of setbacks that have damaged his reputation.

When Stanford withdrew from the competition, several people familiar with the negotiations said the university preferred to quit than lose. Stanford officials saw the “writing on the wall,” said one person familiar with the negotiations.

Stu Loeser, a spokesman for the mayor, declined to comment. Officials at Cornell did not respond on Sunday to a request for comment.

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