Although it was a really tough year, locally and globally, Cornell remains "resource-rich" and is prepared to begin growing again, hopefully next year, said Cornell President David Skorton to some 150 members of the Rotary, Kiwanis, Lions and Sertoma Clubs in the third annual Joint Service Clubs Address April 28 at downtown Ithaca's Holiday Inn.

After noting some of Cornell's achievements of the past year -- from a record number of student applications (more than 36,000) and National Science Foundation grants to a hefty share of stimulus-package funding and cutting-edge sustainability efforts -- Skorton became more somber: "I want to talk about the things that were really hard during the year, and that is the student deaths. ... I much appreciate what many of you have done substantively and emotionally, symbolically and rhetorically, to help us get through this as a community."

Skorton specifically thanked the Triad Foundation, Suicide Prevention and Crisis Services, the Tompkins County Human Services Coalition, Kathy Schlather and Mayor Carolyn Peterson for their assistance. Also evidence of the strong partnership between Cornell and the local community were the results of this past year's Cornell United Way Campaign, raising well over $800,000 for area nonprofits, and the volunteer work of faculty, staff and students, he said.

Much of the program was devoted to answering questions from the audience. In response to one about Cornell's future, Skorton said that the university will continue to be one of the most distinguished universities in the country, but one that is trimmer administratively with some departmental consolidations. For specifics, he referred people to the draft outline of Cornell's strategic plan posted at the Reimagining Cornell website http://www.cornell.edu/reimagining/. He noted in particular three goals: Ensuring that Cornell is both a diverse campus and an employer of choice for staff and faculty, as well as participating in public engagement.

When asked about student stress, Skorton noted that he has called on several leaders on campus to review all aspects of the student experience, and that already "the students are giving very good feedback." Given the high caliber of students and faculty, however, the university is going to continue to be a competitive place, he said.

In response to a query from Bruce Estes, managing editor of The Ithaca Journal, about whether and when there would be more layoffs, Skorton answered that there would be more layoffs, "but we are trying very, very, very hard to protect the workforce" by saving money in other ways. He expects specific news to be announced within the next 45-60 days.

In response to various questions about the increasing role of technology in society and in education, Skorton said that he expects that higher education will become increasingly customized and individually crafted through online learning, but still believes that especially in times of duress, "human contact, face-to-face contact and the many lessons that are learned by living in a community are very important."