The campaign milestone was announced by President David Skorton at the event, which was a celebration of the university's 'unparalleled capabilities' to solve some of the planet's most pressing problems through research, teaching and outreach.
On July 15, the Museum of the Earth at the Paleontological Research Institution (PRI), which is affiliated with Cornell, will open a new exhibit on ammonoids, prehistoric sea animals that first appeared in the fossil record 400 million years ago, survived four major extinctions and died out with the dinosaurs 65 million years ago.
President David Skorton detailed accomplishments, new initiatives and challenges as he led Cornell's leadership on virtual tours of the university in the present day and in 2015 during his first State of the University Address.
Cornell University President Jeffrey S. Lehman will be honored Nov. 6 by the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Inc. (LDF) with a 2003 National Equal Justice Award for his role in the successful defense of the University of Michigan Law School's affirmative action policy before the U.S. Supreme Court. The award will be presented at a gala dinner at the Hilton New York in New York City. Emmy award-winning actress Alfre Woodard will be mistress of ceremonies at the event. The Supreme Court last June upheld the University of Michigan Law School's affirmative action policy in a decision widely hailed as a landmark in the law of higher education. Lehman served as dean of the University of Michigan Law School from 1994 to July 1, 2003, when he assumed the presidency of Cornell. During his tenure as dean, he helped shape the legal argument for universities' freedom to consider race as a limited factor in the admissions process in order to achieve meaningful levels of racial integration. When the Supreme Court upheld the Law School's admissions policy, Lehman said, "The question is no longer whether affirmative action is legal; it is how to hasten the day when affirmative action is no longer needed." (November 04, 2003)
Many of the Cornell students who live off campus call Collegetown home during the academic year. But Collegetown is also home to year-round residents and families, private homes and large apartment complexes, and a bustling business district.
Brett de Bary, Cornell University professor of Asian studies and comparative literature, has been appointed director of the Society for the Humanities (SHC). She replaces Dominick Lacapra, Cornell's Bowmar Professor in Humanistic Studies and professor of history, who has served as SHC director for the past decade. "The distinction of Cornell's Society for the Humanities has become almost synonymous with the distinction of its former director," said de Bary of her predecessor. "Dominick Lacapra's wide-ranging concerns as an intellectual historian, especially with the ethical challenges posed to humanistic inquiry by the Holocaust, led the society to probe profound issues of late 20th century thought and conscience. I hope to maintain this tradition of scholarly intensity and engagement." (October 30, 2003)
A Cornell program has shown that rice yields can be hugely increased through simple changes in how plants, soil, water and nutrients are managed. The program has drawn attention worldwide and is now on the short list of a $1 million sustainability prize.
This summer Cornell will be the epicenter of a major national initiative to diversify humanities departments called the Future of Minorities Studies Research Project (FMS) Summer Institute.
Jason Koski/University PhotographyPeter Meinig, chairman of the Cornell Board of Trustees, center, presides over the installation of David Skorton as Cornell's 12th president. Vice Provost Michele Moody-Adams presents Skorton…