Students entering Cornell have been immersed in a crucial moment in American history all summer, by reading Garry Wills' Pulitzer Prize-winning 1992 book, "Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America," as part of the 2008-09 New Student Reading Project.

Faculty and staff are reading it as well, in preparation for campuswide discussions Aug. 24-25. Readers have been asked to ponder topics raised in the book, such as war, human rights, complex political issues, and language -- particularly the power of effective communication and political rhetoric.

Such a breadth of issues is what makes studying Lincoln's 272-word address at Gettysburg, Pa. -- site of a bloody and pivotal Civil War battle in 1863 -- so compelling, said Michele Moody-Adams, vice provost for undergraduate education.

The book "invites the reader to reflect on the ideals that should shape America's national purpose, and allows us to consider the political implications of race, the nature of leadership, the challenge of commemorating the sacrifices of those who fight in a contested war, the bearing of the past on the present, and the dynamics of politics," said Moody-Adams, who announced the selection in March of Wills' book for the reading project, now in its eighth year.

As in previous years, the Cornell community will discuss the book in small groups and attend a faculty panel discussion in Barton Hall during freshman orientation. Many related events will occur during the year, notably a five-day public display (Aug. 25-29 in Kroch Library) of a rare copy of the Gettysburg Address from Cornell University Library's collections (see box) and a talk by author Wills, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. in Statler Auditorium.

Panelists for the Barton Hall discussion, Sunday, Aug. 24, from 3:30 to 5 p.m., will be Cornell President Emeritus Hunter R. Rawlings III, professor of classics and history, who recently developed a seminar on the classical influences on American constitutional history; Ed Baptist, associate professor of history, specializing in the history of slavery, the American South and 19th-century America; and Tad Brennan, professor of philosophy, specializing in ancient Greek and Roman philosophy.

Gettysburg Address on display

The Bancroft Copy of the Gettysburg Address, one of only five handwritten copies of Lincoln's historic speech, will be on public display Aug. 25-29 in Carl A. Kroch Library, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily.

The copy was originally requested by historian and statesman George Bancroft to include in a fundraising publication to benefit Union soldiers. It remained in Bancroft's family until his grandson, Cornell professor Wilder D. Bancroft, sold it in 1929. It was presented to Cornell in 1949 by Nicholas H. and Marguerite Lilly Noyes.

A brief note from Lincoln to Bancroft, dated Feb. 29, 1864, will also be displayed, along with other Civil War-era documents in the university library's rare and manuscript collections.

The library has coordinated a related exhibit, "Reaching for Equality," on display through September at the Carol Tatkon Center, which is hosting a series of events on equality and social change; including a voter registration drive and a reading of the Gettysburg Address by President David Skorton on Sept. 6 .

The following day, Aug. 25, more than 250 small discussion groups will meet across campus from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

"Lincoln at Gettysburg" was chosen by Cornell's academic leadership from a list of more than 100 titles submitted by the Cornell community. Incoming students are sent copies of the selected book with instructions to read it over the summer and to write an essay about it. The discussions emphasize critical thinking, and the chosen book inspires related exhibits, lectures, films and events throughout the academic year. The reading project also will connect the Cornell community with the national commemoration in February 2009 of the 200th anniversary of Lincoln's birth.

Many people not at Cornell also elect to take part, in concurrent school reads or community reads. Students at Food and Finance High School in Manhattan, a partner of Cornell Cooperative Extension in New York City, are among the participants this year.

The reading project is again being supplemented by a Web site with a blog written by Cornell librarians and guest authors. The blog provides background, further resources and enrichment for readers, with links to audio, video (clips ranging from Ken Burns' "The Civil War" to Jon Stewart on "The Daily Show") and related books and articles.