Bishop Jack Lumanog reflects on a decade of service to the Cornell College Alumni Association

Jack Lumanog
Bishop Jack Lumanog signing citations for honorary alumni on behalf of the Cornell College Alumni Association as President of the Alumni Board.

After 10 years of service, my term on the Cornell College Alumni Board of Directors has come to an end. I reflect on this journey with a mix of deep gratitude and a tinge of sadness. Serving as President of the Alumni Association for two of those years — and as a member of the Cornell College Board of Trustees during that term — has been one of the greatest honors of my life. Representing over 17,000 alumni worldwide and giving back to the College that helped shape me has been deeply fulfilling.

Bishop Jack Lumanog addressing the graduates at the 164th Commencement of Cornell College, May 2022.

I’m immensely grateful to my Alumni Board colleagues, the Alumni Office staff, and the College for placing their trust in me. Together, we spearheaded initiatives that enhanced alumni engagement, organized Homecoming events and honored outstanding alumni with our Alumni Awards granted jointly with the College and the President’s Office. We worked together on Cornell College’s 15-year strategic plan, a pivotal initiative to uphold our legacy of progressive, liberal arts excellence since our founding in 1853.

Bishop Jack Lumanog addressing the graduates at the 165th Commencement of Cornell College, May 2023.

And I will never tire of being proud and celebrating and promoting our progressive history as a liberal arts college. Where women were admitted as students and tenured and paid as full professors from the earliest days of the College. In 1870, Samuel Johnson, when he was enrolled as a student and our student newspaper noted, “He was a slave six years ago.” And, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. spoke in our King Chapel in 1962. This is the Cornell College that I have loved serving this last decade and want to see flourish for many more years to come!

Bishop Jack Lumanog, President of the Alumni Board of Directors, with Cornell College President Jonathan Brand (in academic regalia and Cornell College royal purple Converse) at the 165th Commencement, May 2023.

It was a true privilege to address graduates at the 164th and 165th Commencements and to speak to alumni at Homecoming Convocations. These moments of connection with the Cornell community have all been incredibly special and I will treasure them always.

Bishop Jack Lumanog presents the Young Alumni Achievement Award to Lisa Chen at Cornell College’s Homecoming Convocation, October 2023.

As I step away, I do so with immense gratitude, a bit of sadness, and a heart full of pride for what we’ve accomplished together. Thank you, Cornell, for the lasting impact you continue to make in my life and in the lives of so many others.

Jack Lumanog, ’96

The Right Rev. Dr. Jon I. “Jack” Lumanog is an Anglican Bishop in good standing with the Apostolic Communion of Anglican Churches and the leader of The Anglican Diocese of St. Ignatius Loyola, overseeing clergy and congregations in the United States, South Asia, Africa and Southeast Asia. A pastor and evangelist at heart, Dr. Jack Lumanog has planted, revitalized and led churches, traveling extensively around the world to share the life-changing message of Jesus Christ. He served as a denominational leader for eight years, providing executive-level oversight for more than 1,000 congregations in the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

Dr. Lumanog is currently pursuing post-graduate studies in Management at Harvard University through the Harvard Extension School. He is an accomplished corporate strategist with extensive experience leading high-impact clinical projects for a Fortune 20 healthcare company.