From a vantage point in Day Hall, Provost Biddy Martin said, she often finds herself feeling amazed -- both by the faculty's expertise and commitment and by students' passion and initiative.

The amazement, Martin said, comes from all disciplines. There are the wonders of science -- of an institution where researchers are using multiphoton microscopy to image living tissue without damaging it; where others are learning from images sent back to Earth by the Mars rovers; and still others are using optical tweezers to manipulate single molecules of DNA.

And there is the equal beauty of the humanists, who write great poetry, study diverse cultures, and create music and art and literature.

And then there are the challenges: of hiring new faculty, of increasing diversity and of a renewed emphasis on teaching.

Martin touched on all these themes in delivering the inaugural Academic State of the University Address in Kennedy Hall's Call Auditorium Wednesday afternoon, March 7, to a capacity audience -- which, at the end of her presentation, gave her a standing ovation.

Addressing the significant challenges ahead, she said: "We are in the process right now of doing nothing less than rebuilding this institution by renewing our faculty. The faculty hired in the '60s are now retiring and putting us in competition with the best universities all over the world as we attempt to replace up to a third of our faculty -- as many as 600 over the next 10 to 15 years."

However, she emphasized, Cornell will not be able to boast a world-class faculty 15 years from now unless that faculty is diverse.

Martin called on departments to build and maintain a pool of women and minority candidates before positions become open; to invite students and postdocs from underrepresented groups to campus; and to be vigilant against unconscious biases.

To renew emphasis on teaching, she challenged faculty to stay informed about research on learning and cognition, try new approaches like team teaching, and review the curriculum regularly.

"Cornell combines the rigor we expect of an Ivy League institution with the breadth and social responsibility of a land-grant university; in the combustion of those qualities and commitments we get the potential for something that is difficult and precious: an openness to new ideas, to surprising connections, and to change," she said. "We hope our students will take these values with them, that these will be outcomes of their education, whether or not they can be measured or quantified.

"Our task now is to dedicate ourselves to the responsibilities of change, of generational change and service to the future by holding fast to the characteristically Cornell qualities of rigor and openness."

In a question-and-answer session following the speech, Rob Thorne, professor of physics, said he sees Martin's emphasis on improving diversity among faculty as particularly important in fields in which the pool of women and minority applicants for faculty positions remains very small. To expand that pool, he suggested, educators must work harder to encourage minority students at the undergraduate level to consider academic careers in the physical sciences.

Martin agreed. "This is a serious problem," she said. "We have to become a model for undergraduate education so we build that pool."

To a question about Cornell's land-grant mission, she emphasized the importance of ongoing extension programs, outreach efforts, and new work on technology transfer and intellectual property rights.

Discussion of the coming faculty turnover resonated with Francisco Valero-Cuevas, associate professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. "We have to resist the temptation to reinvent ourselves" in hiring new faculty, he said. "We need to think broadly, and beyond our own comfort zones."

At a reception following the speech, Peter Meinig, chair of the Cornell Board of Trustees, said the talk reinforced his admiration of Martin. "She asked good questions, challenging questions," he said. "She's not afraid to say we don't have all the answers. She has the leadership qualities we need."

Ned Morgens, board of trustees vice chair, agreed. "It was a tour de force," he said. "This is an individual of towering intellect. She clearly is in total command of her field."

Read a transcript of the speech  |   Watch the video