President Jeffrey S. Lehman's State of the University address Saturday morning in Bartels Hall began as expected for a hot day in June. Newspapers used as fans in the stifling Newman Arena heat; jovial alumni, sorted by age -- 1940s and 1950s graduates in Cornell-red folding chairs; just-out-of-school 20-somethings in the bleachers behind. By the end of the address, the alumni would share sadness and shock as they digested the unexpected news: Lehman, the first Cornell alumnus to hold the university's highest office, had closed his speech by announcing his resignation after just two years as president.
Peter C. Meinig, chairman of the Cornell University Board of Trustees, issued a statement June 11, 2005, to members of the Cornell community about the resignation of Cornell President Jeffrey S. Lehman.
Cornell University President Jeffrey S. Lehman has notified the university's chairman of the Cornell Board of Trustees of his intention to step down as president of Cornell University effective June 30, citing differences with the board regarding the strategy for realizing Cornell's long-term vision. Hunter R. Rawlings III, president emeritus of Cornell and a current member of the faculty, has agreed to serve as interim president. Subject to approval by the board of trustees, Rawlings' appointment will become effective July 1, and he will serve in this role until the university names a new president.
Veteran civil rights activist Robert Moses encouraged educators, parents and students to join a national debate and a movement for change in public schools in a community forum held June 7 in the Ithaca High School cafeteria. The second Community Forum on Education and Society, titled "Equity and Excellence: Quality Education as a Civil Right," was presented by Cornell University in partnership with other local educational institutions.
The Pathology Teaching and Diagnostic Complex at Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine has been upgraded for the first time since it was built in the 1950s.
Ristorante Banfi at Cornell's Statler Hotel has received its first Award of Excellence from Wine Spectator magazine. The award will be listed in the Aug. 31 issue of the magazine.
High-tech gadgets like strategically placed ocean pressure sensors could be valuable tools for protecting residents of tsunami-prone areas. But the biggest need, says Cornell tsunami expert Philip Liu, is for sustained education so both residents and tourists understand the best ways to stay safe when a tsunami hits. In January, Liu led a team of scientists from the National Science Foundation's Tsunami Research Group and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to Sri Lanka, where he observed the devastation from last December's powerful Indian Ocean tsunami. He summarizes the team's findings in a paper in the latest issue (June 10) of the journal Science.
NEW YORK (June 8, 2005) -- Each year, thousands of children from orphanages abroad are adopted by families in the United States. Yet the long-term impact of the early experiences of these children is unknown. Researchers at the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are currently conducting a study that employs tools -- including computer games used in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans -- to better understand the cognitive and emotional development of these children, as well as their unique experiences.
Harry Charles Katz, the Jack Sheinkman Professor of Collective Bargaining and director of the Institute of Collective Bargaining at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, has been named dean of the school.
Cornell President Jeffrey S. Lehman issued a statement June 8 concerning the parking lot that is under construction as part of the West Campus Residential initiative.
As many as 6,000 Cornellians and their families will be on campus Thursday, June 9, through Sunday, June 12, for Cornell's Reunion 2005. The earliest alumni class planning special events this year is the Class of 1930. Two returning alumni -- Roger Abell of Clarence, N.Y., and Sidney Kaufman of Houston -- will be attending their 75th reunion. Kaufman plans to make the trip by driving, from Houston, noted an impressed Margaret Gallo, director of class and reunion programs in the Office of Alumni Affairs.
It would be easy to sum up Harold D. "Hal" Craft's career at Cornell as a series of building and facilities projects. During his 34 years here, he has led close to $1 billion in campus construction, from the Sage Hall renovation to Lake Source Cooling. But as Craft enters retirement and looks back at his three decades at Cornell, he doesn't talk about buildings or projects, business matters or finance. He talks about people.
