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I am almost thawed out after being on campus last week when it was minus 1 degree (felt like minus 20). I don’t remember days that cold when we were undergrads…. This winter, Cornell was actually closed for 24 hours in January due to heavy snow.

Between snowfalls, Kristen and I had the opportunity to meet with our Class Scholar, Marianna Wineinger ‘29, who spent her first semester in Washington DC as a member of the inaugural DC Start program through the Cornell Brooks School of Public Policy. After 3 weeks on the Ithaca campus, Marianna had the following observations:

“Getting to experience DC through a Public Policy lens as a freshman was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Witnessing the result of hundreds of years of US history surrounding me through the memorials and monuments fortified my passion to continue to pursue a career in policy and advocacy. Along with opportunities to meet lobbyists, former and current House members, White House staff, lawyers, and more, the program offered a unique beginning to my college journey through an in-depth understanding of the political field. Living and going to class with the same forty peers each day allowed us to grow close as a cohort, an aspect I value deeply as I transition to Ithaca. I have truly enjoyed carrying these friendships on campus while also making new ones. 

 I am a Californian at heart, so it is difficult for me to fully acclimate to the freezing temperatures, as I am sure you all recall from your time at Cornell. I do find Ithaca and the Cornell campus very beautiful, and I am excited to see how the campus looks through all the seasons, especially the fall and the spring cherry blossoms. The snow adds another layer of beauty, even if I cannot feel my fingers at times. Exploring all the various clubs, cafes, and libraries has been wonderful, and I am excited to fully settle in as a Cornellian. Thank you very much for making this experience possible!”

 Sincerely, Marianna

Because of the generosity of the many classmates who have contributed to the Class of 1974 Scholarship Fund, our class has supported eight Cornell undergraduates since 2000. We will likely have Marianna as our scholarship recipient throughout her Cornell years, so we will get to know her better as she experiences all that Cornell has to offer.

Last month Peter Loewen, Dean of the College of Arts & Sciences (since 2024) and professor of Government, gave a riveting, insightful and timely talk titled “Reducing Political Polarization“. As Peter observed, polarization is at an all time high, and this polarization increasingly creeps into daily life, with people choosing what to buy, where to live and whom to date, on political grounds.

Peter explained how we got to this point, but more importantly, how we can decrease polarization in legislatures, conversations and even in our own classrooms.  He is walking the talk and will be teaching a course at Cornell this spring called “Govt 1109: Disagreement“.  The course description is:

Disagreement is at the heart of the university and at the heart of democracies. In universities, scholars in every discipline engage in disagreement every day, from the nature of the outer reaches of the galaxy, to the value and meaning of different works of literature, to the ideal forms of government. Similarly, democracies confront disagreement as often as they do agreement: for example, how should wealth be distributed? How do we balance rights with responsibilities? How fast should speed limits be? Effective scholars and effective citizens alike need to wrestle with how to disagree. This course addresses this challenge head on.

One of Peter’s slides shows that our ability to relate across the aisle or at the Thanksgiving dinner table is at an all-time low. This chart shows the degree of intersection between the two major US parties over the past 140 years.  Between 1923 and 1983 there’s overlap between the parties, meaning that the conservative Dems and liberal Republicans were “on the same page”.  Over the past 20 years, however, there’s significant (but not unprecedented) lack of overlap between blues and reds.

I encourage you to listen to Peter’s talk: my bet is it will be the best and most stimulating 45 minutes of your week. PS: You’ll hear that the word “empathy” (an antidote to polarization) was first coined in the U.S. in 1909 by Edward Titchener, a professor at Cornell. Who knew?!?

On a separate note, our classmate Evan Stewart’s very interesting RED Talk webinar about famous Cornell Law School graduate Myron Taylor, who was CEO of US Steel, President Roosevelt’s emissary to the Vatican, and a major diplomatic player in WW II, can be found here.  And you can enjoy recordings of all our RED Talk Redux Series on that page of our Class website.

I wish you a very happy Thanksgiving.

Twelve days ago, an important talk was given on campus by our just-inaugurated 15^th president, Mike Kotilikoff. Mike’s talk is a clear statement of where Cornell stands in this very turbulent time in higher ed.  I think you will be proud.

And don’t forget about our next RED Talk webinar, this coming Tuesday, November 11 at 8pm ET, featuring classmate Evan Stewart. Evan has had a long career in the law and recently become a prolific author. He will speak about his biography of Myron Taylor—one of the greatest but least known Cornellians. Taylor, as Evan tells us, was one of the most consequential figures in US and global history in the first half of the 20^th century.

To attend our RED Talk on Tuesday, November 11th

                        REGISTER HERE  

I hope you will join me and fellow classmates for this special talk.

Those bells you are hearing are certainly school bells; summer is nearly over around the country and definitely over at Cornell. Our Class of 1974 is gearing up for another busy year, starting with a RED Talk webinar by classmate Julie Kane on Sept 16 at 8pm ET.  Details below.

This is the first week of classes on the Hill. Cornell President Mike Kotlikoff recently sent out a communique:

Welcome to the beginning of the academic year, and welcome to Cornell! I’m glad to be setting out with you on another year of learning, exploration, and discovery, and particularly glad to welcome so many new students from across the country and around the world.

The Cornell Class of 2029 is one of the largest in our history, with 3,862 undergraduates from all 50 U.S. states and 97 countries. Nearly 20% of our first-year students will also be from the first generation in their families to earn a college degree. Together with our thousands of new graduate and professional students, they join a community that has, for 160 years, embodied Ezra Cornell’s vision of “an institution where any person can find instruction in any study”: a world-class university with a land-grant commitment, embracing diversity as a driver of our excellence, and seeking always “to do the greatest good.” 

 Cornell has succeeded, and achieved the stature it has today, because of our rock-solid commitment to our shared values, and to the community that makes our ambitions possible — celebrating our differences and respecting the diversity of opinions, backgrounds, and ideas that make up Cornell.

With uncharacteristically sunny and warm weather in Ithaca the past few weeks, Cornell students have enjoyed a very promising start to the new academic year.  Check out many of Cornell’s social media sites for photos of happy students and parents on campus! (Instagram, Facebook, X)

In Class of 1974 news, we hope you will join the next installment of our Class of 1974 RED Talk webinars on Tuesday, September 16^th at 8pm ET, featuring our classmate Julie Kane who was recently named the 2025 Louisiana Writer Award winner. Julie was the Louisiana Poet Laureate from 2011-2013 and is professor emerita of English at Northwestern State University.  Please register for this free virtual talk here.

Bring on the Fall,