Aug. 22, 2022
Dear Cornellians,
Welcome to the beginning of the 2022-23 academic year, and to all of our new students, faculty, and staff on all of our campuses, welcome to Cornell!
Despite the turbulent times we’ve all been living through, Cornellians are continuing, in so many ways, to demonstrate tremendous creativity and tenacity in their teaching, learning, research, and engagement. In May, we graduated our first class from the newly established Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy: the fulfillment of a long-held aspiration for a school to leverage the expertise of our faculty, and advance the public policy work being done across our departments and programs. In June, we began drilling for our Cornell University Borehole Observatory: a nearly 2-mile-deep borehole that will determine the feasibility of using Earth Source Heat to help warm our Ithaca campus and meet our ambitious sustainability goals. And just last week we reached a depth of 9,790 feet—deep enough to begin testing! Over the summer, we’ve been joined by remarkable new faculty that continue to diversify the ranks of our schools and colleges, and once again held an “academic boot camp” for military service members and veterans interested in pursuing college degrees. And our students and faculty have been active across the state and the world, exploring careers, addressing systemic racism, improving health, and rising to the moment.
It’s terrific to have our students back on campus, including our newest Cornellians, the amazingly diverse and accomplished Class of 2026. They are the first Cornell class to move into a fully completed North Campus Residential Expansion, which opened its last three buildings over the summer. More than six years in the making, the project brings over 2,100 new beds of undergraduate housing to North Campus, along with the truly spectacular Morrison Dining, which opened last spring, and a host of other facilities.
I was glad to have the chance to welcome the Class of 2026, along with our new transfer students, at New Student Convocation yesterday. I talked to them about how to get the most out of their Cornell experiences, and about the vital importance of free speech and responsible civil discourse to their Cornell educations—and to our democracy. I invite you to read my comments, below.
As we begin Cornell’s 158th academic year, I deeply believe that our mission, in this volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous world, remains—as has been since our founding—fundamentally important to the future of our society and our world. I wish you all the best for a rewarding and productive year of scholarship, fulfillment, and joyful discovery as part of our Cornell community.
Sincerely,
Martha E. Pollack
President
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