ITHACA, N.Y.—Cornell University Vice President Ryan Lombardi confirmed that the person found deceased yesterday in the Ithaca Falls Natural Area was a student at the college.
In an announcement Sunday, Lombardi identified the student as Phillip Zukowski, who was in the Class of 2023. Zukowski had transferred to Cornell for the Fall 2020 semester from Grinnell College, and Lombardi said he had graduated from a high school in Jamaica, Queens, New York. There were no details released regarding the circumstances of Zukowski’s death.
“Phillip, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, transferred to Cornell from Grinnell College in the Fall 2020 semester. He had not yet declared a major, but was interested in computer science,” Lombardi wrote. “He attended high school in Jamaica, Queens, where he learned Python through the Google Ignite computer science program at Columbia University. On campus, Phillip lived in Becker House and was a member of Phi Kappa Tau.”
Lombardi extended condolences to Zukowski’s family and said that support meeting were being organized for Cornell community members and groups that Zukowski belonged to.
It’s the second time in five weeks that the Cornell community is dealing with a student’s death. First year student Shawn West was found deceased on campus last month after he was reported missing by his family, who hadn’t heard from him.
Ithaca police are still asking for the public’s help in investigating Zukowski’s death.