Tag: Skorton

3:15 p.m., Sept. 16, 2009 Dear members of the Cornell community: I am writing to follow up on our email of last week regarding the H1N1 influenza and its impact on the Cornell community. As you know, we suffered the loss of one of our students last Friday from complications related to H1N1 influenza. The…

5:30 p.m., Sept. 11, 2009 Dear members of the Cornell community: It is with deepest sadness and regret that I inform you of the loss of one of our students today at Cayuga Medical Center. Warren J. Schor, 20, died of complications related to H1N1 influenza. The university has been in close contact with Warren’s…

Aug. 26, 2009 Dear Cornellians: Welcome to a new academic year at Cornell. I want especially to welcome the new members of our community to the Cornell family. It’s also a pleasure to greet returning students and faculty and staff colleagues. Reflecting on last year’s enormous challenges and accomplishments allows me another opportunity to share…

July 2, 2009 Dear Cornellians, Following an eventful year at Cornell and in anticipation of another that looks to be equally challenging and promising, I want to thank you for the work we have done together and to share with you my pride in the accomplishments of our entire community, in Ithaca, New York City,…

May 24, 2009 Cornell University President David Skorton issued the following statement after the university’s board of trustees announced actions this past weekend that include moving forward with construction of Paul Milstein Hall and the Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art’s extension. The Cornell Board of Trustees at its recent meeting unanimously supported my recommendation…

April 15, 2009 Earlier this year, I extended the construction pause, instituted on November 3, 2008, in order to conduct a thorough review of the priority of new capital projects and maintenance projects and re-calibrate the university’s capital budget to better align funding sources and proposed uses. Except for projects already ongoing at the time…

March 6, 2009 Dear Members of the Cornell Community: I write to update you on the state of our university as the economy worsens around the world and at home. Even though Cornell’s financial situation has become more challenging, I remain confident in our collective ability to re-imagine the university in ways that will not…

Feb. 12, 2009 President David Skorton today issued the following statement on events on the Arts Quad over the past few days involving the theft and vandalism of an installation denouncing the violence in Gaza. It’s often said and it bears repeating, especially on issues deeply felt on all sides: As an institution of higher…

Jan. 25, 2009 To the Cornell community, Following several months of planning by the university leadership and thorough discussions at its meeting last week in New York City about the best ways to manage the university’s finances in the face of the continuing economic crisis gripping the nation, Cornell’s Board of Trustees yesterday voted unanimously…

Jan. 8, 2009 President David J. Skorton: By protecting the core of the Empire State’s higher education infrastructure, Gov. Paterson has astutely signaled that our children’s education is key to the future of New York. He clearly understands the long-term economic advantages that higher education will provide the state. The bottom line is that New…

Dec. 16, 2008 Dear Colleagues: I write to update you on Cornell’s recent financial challenges and to share a few thoughts as 2008 passes into 2009. Since my last communication, when I previewed the scope of the challenge brought on by the financial crisis on Wall Street, the markets have continued to deteriorate and the…

Oct. 30, 2008 Members of the Cornell community: I write to update you on our handling of the current financial situation and to invite you to a series of public fora to discuss our way forward. The recent meeting of the Cornell University Board of Trustees and subsequent meetings of university and collegiate leadership have…

Sept. 26, 2008 I write to share some thoughts and information regarding our university at a time of financial volatility in our state and nation. Recent news raises concerns about our personal finances as well as those of the university. From the outset, let me underscore the overall soundness of our university’s financial position. Nevertheless,…

Oct. 11, 2007 President David J. Skorton acknowledges constraints imposed by global economic upheaval, but says solutions must preserve Cornell’s high standards in academics and employment. Recent incidents in our community and elsewhere serve to remind us that intolerance remains a continuing problem in American society. Despite the progress we have made as a campus…

July 2, 2007 The recent attempt by some in Britain’s University and College Union (UCU) to advance a boycott against Israeli academics and academic institutions represents an assault on the values that universities everywhere ought to promote: academic freedom, open exchange of ideas, and free and unfettered debate. By seeking to hold Israeli academics responsible…

Feb. 23, 2007 Today, I am honored to announce that I am signing, on behalf of Cornell University, the American University and College Presidents Climate Commitment. By this act, we commit to developing a plan for the university to achieve climate neutrality, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions, starting on our main campus in Ithaca,…