After 18 months of study, surveys, town hall meetings and departmental debate, three Cornell faculty task forces are releasing their final reports on how Cornell can take a leading role in shaping the university of the future.

The task forces targeted three strategic areas -- Life in the Age of the Genome, Wisdom in the Age of Digital Information and Sustainability in the Age of Development -- for integrating the university as a whole, increasing communication among departments and enhancing interdisciplinary connections. Each report provides a summary of current activities in these areas and offers recommendations on how to move forward.

These recommendations include a new program in digital arts and culture, expanding the scope of various courses to include genome-related content, and a seed-grant program to launch more interdisciplinary sustainability-related research. (Full reports can be found at: http://www.cornell.edu/provost/priorities.cfm). Under Cornell Provost Biddy Martin's leadership, the task force reports are being discussed and shared in various academic planning venues -- starting with the academic deans.

"The task forces have diligently produced comprehensive roads maps for linking research and educational efforts among the university's priorities," said Stephen Kresovich, vice provost for life sciences. "Their recommendations represent continuing grass-roots efforts to build unique interdisciplinary strengths at Cornell."

The strategic areas, identified by former President Jeffrey Lehman in his October 2004 State of the University address, provided opportunities for faculty to engage across disciplines. For example, the Task Force on Life in the Age of the Genome comprised life scientists, social scientists and humanists -- including Richard Boyd from the philosophy department, sociologist David Harris, the committee's co-chair, and Amy Villarejo, associate professor of film and director of the Feminist, Gender and Sexuality Studies Program. As a group they addressed how the ethical, legal and social aspects of genomics might be better taught and studied.

A spring 2005 survey of more than 800 faculty members revealed the interdisciplinary efforts on campus in each strategic area and helped identify future avenues for interdisciplinary work. At the same time, the surveys also showed that related projects were being conducted in different parts of campus without knowledge of one another.

The committees then aired their preliminary observations and recommendations at town hall and department meeting and conducted focus groups before completing their final reports.

Each report focuses on educational programs as a first round of implementation. For example, the task force on digital information suggests establishing a universitywide undergraduate and graduate program to develop and expand courses in artistic, cultural and societal aspects of digital technologies.

The genome task force recommends that the university host a summer seminar where faculty from the sciences, social sciences and humanities bring their expertise to a topic like obesity or parenting. The task force also recommends future cluster hires, new research-fellow and teaching-fellow programs, and that faculty supplement existing courses with relevant genome-related material.

Finally, the sustainability task force suggests that Cornell create a "program on sustainability and development that has a dedicated physical space and the resources needed to establish globally recognized intellectual leadership in this area." Martin encouraged the short-term goals of creating a seed-grant program for collaborative sustainable development research and possibly a universitywide sustainability course.

In the future, the task forces will start to implement some of their recommendations. "In all cases, we are thinking big but starting small," said Carolyn Ainslie, vice president for budget and planning. "We will allow the ideas and recommendations to take some additional shape, give time for faculty hires to support the initiatives and leverage existing resources and efforts."