Stephen Weiss, 72, Cornell Benefactor

ITHACA — Stephen Weiss, an investment banker and philanthropist who chaired Cornell University's board of trustees between 1989 and 1997, is dead at age 72.

Weiss co-founded the investment management firm of Weiss, Peck & Greer in 1970 and served as chief executive officer and chairman until 2001. A Cornell graduate, he was a member of the Ivy League school's board of trustees for 24 years between 1973 and 1997.

He died Wednesday at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center in New York, Cornell said yesterday. The cause of death was not disclosed. Weiss served on ad hoc board committees that selected four Cornell presidents, including incumbent David Skorton, who described him as "a consummate Cornellian."

"We all admired his ceaseless drive to make Cornell a better place, his vivacious spirit as well as his generosity that allows so many of us to strive to be our best," Mr. Skorton said.

In 1992, Weiss established a presidential fellows award to honor professors who show an outstanding commitment to undergraduate education. In addition, he was a member of New York City's citizens committee and the National Humanities Center in North Carolina.

He is survived by his wife, Suzanne Rogers Weiss, and four children.