The Future of the American University–Join the Conversation

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I was at Cornell last weekend and, yes, it snowed – but only briefly on Sunday morning. Drove there Friday in my EV for the annual student/alumni Symposium of the Cornell Media Guild, which encompasses WVBR FM radio, internet-only Cornell Radio, and Electric Buffalo Records with recording studio and Artists and Repertoire (A&R) management. Great turnout.

IMG_2967 7In other news, the first deliverable of the Committee on the Future of the American University was circulated among the Cornell community.   This committee was formed by Provost Kavita Bala to “explore how the university can evolve to best serve future generations while pursuing its core mission of education, scholarship, public impact and community engagement in the face of intersecting challenges of rapid technological change [call that AI], an evolving relationship with the federal government, and erosion of public trust.”

The draft Framework authored by the Committee acknowledges “concerns…long-running issues…” and more challenges, and further states “The core strengths of universities — curiosity, learning, discovery, creativity, and public engagement — are powerful tools for responding to changing conditions.”
The Committee states the way forward must be rooted in four key academic commitments:
• Foster discovery, creativity, and innovation
• Enable lifelong learning
• Promote pluralism as a lived institutional practice that strengthens academic freedom and democratic capacity through constructive engagement across differences in identity, experience, background, worldview, and values
• Cultivate judgment
The Committee identifies five strategic imperatives including relationship building, shared values, civics, collaboration, and global vision.
As the next phase, the Committee is seeking feedback from the Cornell community.  If you have thoughts you’d like to share, send an email to fau@cornell.edu.  Also, you should have received an email from Cornell inviting you to a webinar on Monday, May 11 to hear about the Committee’s work.  Register here to attend (note: you do not need a NetID to register). 
Our Cornell, often described as the “First American University,” faces this important and consequential challenge to chart the future of American university education.  Let’s get started!