The digital age is about much more than technology; it is fundamentally changing the ways in which people learn, work, play and interact with one another, according to the provost's Task Force on Wisdom in the Age of Digital Information.

The task force has recommended the creation of a new, universitywide program in digital arts and culture, with its own dedicated laboratory and exhibition spaces, new faculty hires and other support. As part of the ongoing Computing and Information Science Initiative, the new task force was charged by Provost Biddy Martin to focus on the digital age as it relates to the humanities and social sciences.

"I am excited about the possibilities for a digital arts and culture program at Cornell and look forward to working with the provost's office and the deans to start pursuing the recommendations in our report," said Daniel Huttenlocher, the John P. and Rilla Neafsey Professor of Computing, Information Science and Business, who chaired the task force. "I am also deeply grateful for having had the opportunity to work with such a fantastic group of people; I learned a lot from the task force members, who all worked hard to bring together specific recommendations in a very broad domain of inquiry."

From a survey of the faculty in spring 2005, the task force concluded that while many digital arts and culture activities already exist, they are mostly isolated and underrecognized. In many cases faculty members were unaware of related work in other parts of the campus. And a few faculty are still openly resistant to the changes in how students use new digital forms of expression, they found.

But given the many digital arts and culture activities already under way, the report says, "Cornell is poised to position itself as a leading east coast center of such research and pedagogy." The report makes seven specific recommendations: