Statements Prod

Tag: Kotlikoff-Prov

  • External advisory committee recommendations

    May 31, 2024 Last November, I laid out a series of actions that we would take to build on our commitment to combatting antisemitism and all forms of hatred at Cornell. Our comprehensive approach included rapid and forceful response to harassment or incitement to violence; a thorough review of university policies; new academic offerings and…

  • Interim provost appointment

    May 13, 2024 Dear Cornell Community, In preparation for our upcoming presidential transition, I am delighted to share that John Siliciano ’75, professor of law, will serve as interim provost, effective July 1, 2024. John is deeply familiar with Cornell and brings a wealth of experience and expertise as a long-serving faculty member and administrator…

  • Protecting the rights of our community to teach and learn without disruption

    March 27, 2024 This letter first appeared in The Cornell Daily Sun on March 26, 2024. In light of ongoing protests by the Coalition of Mutual Liberation — a group that has stated its intention to repeatedly disrupt the activities of the University — The Cornell Daily Sun has published several letters from our faculty…

  • April 8: Solar eclipse safety and campus pause

    March 26, 2024 Dear Ithaca and Geneva campus communities, On April 8, a total solar eclipse will cross North America. A partial eclipse with a magnitude of 98.8% will be visible in Ithaca, with 100% totality occurring further north in Geneva. The university will “pause” classes and some outdoor activities between 3-4 p.m. during the…

  • Update on Interim Expressive Activity Policy

    March 11, 2024 Dear Cornell Community: Over the past weeks, the University Assembly (UA) has been soliciting feedback from our community on the Interim Expressive Activity Policy. We are very appreciative of the thoughtful input received from faculty, staff, and students, and we thank the UA for its continued work on this important issue. We…

  • University policies under development

    Jan. 24, 2024 Dear Ithaca, AgriTech, and Cornell Tech communities, We write regarding two interim policies, released today, related to expressive activities and doxxing. Work on these policies began in spring 2023, in the lead-up to our freedom of expression theme year, and last semester underscored the importance of such policies as we, as a…

  • Important Message for Faculty and Instructors

    Jan. 23, 2024 Dear Colleagues, As we begin the new academic term, I am writing to underscore some of the thoughts I shared last fall around expectations for modeling civic discourse in our classrooms. Many of us have deep personal connections and strong feelings regarding events occurring in the Middle East. It is incumbent on…

  • Presidential Task Force on Undergraduate Admissions Final Report

    September 14, 2023 Dear Cornellians, The Presidential Task Force on Undergraduate Admissions has now submitted a final report of recommendations for updated policies and best practices related to undergraduate admissions at Cornell. I have carefully reviewed their recommendations, and Provost Michael Kotlikoff and Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education and Interim Vice Provost for Enrollment Lisa…

  • Increase in COVID-19 cases on campus

    March 23, 2022 Dear Ithaca campus community, COVID-19 cases on the Ithaca campus are increasing beyond our predictions, indicating a substantial prevalence of the virus on campus. This rising transmission is likely due to a number of factors, including relaxing mask requirements, the emergence of the BA.2 variant, and increased social activities. While the health…

  • Start of the semester plans

    Feb. 1, 2022 On-campus isolation protocols have been updated. Find out more on the Cornell Health website. January 6, 2022 Dear Cornell students and families, As we prepare for the start of the spring semester, we have been focusing on two important goals: protecting the health of our campus and the surrounding community and ensuring…

  • Start of the semester plans

    January 6, 2022 Dear Cornell faculty and staff, As we prepare for the start of the spring semester, we have been focusing on two important goals: protecting the health of our campus and the surrounding community and ensuring that our students have the best possible residential educational experience. And, as has been the case since…

  • Supporting students’ well-being

    Nov. 8, 2021 Dear Colleagues, We drafted this note late last week to send out this morning. In light of yesterday’s campus scare, we feel the suggestions in this message are particularly salient. We encourage any flexibility you can offer in the near term for those students that may still be reeling from the central…

  • Increase in COVID-19 cases and change in campus operations

    Aug. 27, 2021 Dear Ithaca campus community, As students arrived in Ithaca for the start of the semester, we expected to see a significant number of positive COVID-19 cases identified through our arrival and surveillance testing. In fact, our decision to reinstate mandatory surveillance testing for almost all students recognized this likelihood and was instituted…

  • In-person operations for the fall semester

    August 13, 2021 As a follow up to Wednesday’s virtual town hall, in which a number of faculty and staff expressed concern about our approach to in-person operations for the fall semester, I wanted to provide some additional context. Cornell cares deeply about our faculty and staff, who have demonstrated tremendous resiliency throughout the COVID-19…

  • Gift to name and endow Cornell’s School of Public Policy

    June 10, 2021 Dear Cornell community, In February 2020, following a multiyear review by a series of faculty committees, the university announced plans to create a new School of Public Policy: one that would further elevate Cornell’s excellence and prominence in the social sciences, and provide a unified home for our many scholars of public…

  • COVID-19 Vaccination and Fall Instruction

    April 2, 2021 Dear Cornell Community, Although we all appreciate that the COVID-19 pandemic is not over and that we must remain vigilant around public health measures to protect ourselves and our community, there is reason to be hopeful as we plan for the future. More than 90 million U.S. residents have safely received one…

  • Increase in COVID-19 cases and the future of campus operations

    March 19, 2021 As you recently learned, a disturbing increase in the number of COVID-19 cases within our student body has forced the university to move to COVID-19 Alert Level Yellow. Even more disturbing than the number of new cases is what is behind those numbers: a blatant disregard by some students for the public…

  • COVID-19 cluster identified on Ithaca campus

    Feb. 5, 2021 Members of the Cornell Community As noted in the CornellALERT sent moments ago, the university has identified a cluster of at least 12 positive COVID-19 cases within our student body. The cases are related to a party in Collegetown, which many members of Greek life organizations attended and where face covering and…

  • Update on diversity and inclusion initiatives at Cornell

    Jan. 26, 2021 Dear Cornell community, Last semester, our campus community came together as never before to enable a successful, in-person campus experience. It was also a time of vigorous activity and debate on our campus, with faculty, staff and students investing significant time and effort towards the critical, long-term goal of changing societal structures…

  • Congratulatory message honoring December graduates

    Dec. 19, 2020 Dear December 2020 graduates and families, At the end of this semester like no other at Cornell, Provost Mike Kotlikoff, University Marshal Poppy McLeod and I are pleased to present one last “first”: our first virtual recognition ceremony for December graduates (above). A Cornell education is rigorous, and a Cornell degree is…

  • Renaming Cornell’s Goldwin Smith Professorships

    Dec. 14, 2020 On Dec. 10, the Cornell University Board of Trustees, through its Executive Committee, accepted a recommendation made by a special task force to rename the Goldwin Smith Professorships, currently held by 14 faculty members within the College of Arts and Sciences. The Board also accepted a task force recommendation that the university…

  • Ithaca campus moving to COVID Alert Level Yellow

    Nov. 13, 2020 Dear Cornell community, The Tompkins County Health Department has identified additional positive cases related to the cluster that was described in yesterday’s communication. All students who have been identified as close contacts are currently in quarantine and undergoing testing; however, we anticipate that additional students may be contacted by the health department…

  • Ithaca campus moving to COVID alert level green

    Sept. 16, 2020 Dear Cornell community, As the fall semester progresses, it is heartening to see the collective efforts of students, faculty and staff to act safely and responsibly as we go about classes, research and other activities. Your choices are making a crucial difference as we strive to limit the spread of COVID-19. We…

  • Ithaca campus moving to COVID alert level yellow

    Sept. 3, 2020 Dear Cornell community, As previously communicated, last Friday evening the Tompkins County Health Department (TCHD) identified a cluster of nine COVID-19 cases among the Cornell student population, related to student gatherings where masks were not worn nor physical distancing observed. TCHD has defined a COVID-19 cluster as five or more connected cases.…

  • COVID-19 tracking dashboard and alert system

    Aug. 25, 2020 Dear Cornell and Ithaca community members, In order to keep the community informed of the status of COVID-19 testing on the Ithaca campus, Cornell’s COVID-19 testing results and other critical data are now available on a new public dashboard. The COVID-19 Tracking Dashboard also introduces Cornell’s COVID-19 Alert Level, a color-coded system…