Bridges, budget, kudos and academic integrity highlighted annual reports to the Cornell Board of Trustees May 28 in Sage Hall.

President David Skorton began the open session with the successes of the past academic year. At the top of the list was the election of eight faculty members and two board members to prestigious academic associations, Skorton said. "All my pals who are presidents around the country complain about their endowments and the markets," he said. "But not all of them can say that they have 10 new members of these societies, including two on their board. It's a huge source of pride for me."

The university is "rounding third base" in balancing its budget, Skorton said, noting that much of the progress was thanks to permanent and recurring expenditure reductions. And Weill Cornell Medical College started construction of a Medical Research Building, an 18-story, $650 million facility that will more than double the institution's existing research space.

"And what about Big Red Athletics," Skorton said to a round of applause. "Some day, some day I'm going to get a response like that when I walk up here," he quipped before citing such successes as the men's basketball team's trip to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament.

Skorton ceded the floor to Vice President for Student and Academic Services Susan Murphy, who said Cornell needs more time to come up with an alternative to the chain-link fences on its bridges. At Murphy's request, the city of Ithaca's Common Council will vote June 2 on a resolution to keep the temporary barriers on six campus bridges through mid-August, she said. The Cornell Division of Facilities is soliciting proposals for the design of a long-term solution, she added. "It is our considered opinion that we need more time to decide what actually is the right long-term answer."

Jason Seymour, outgoing chair of the Employee Assembly (EA), followed with an annual report. With a full complement of board members, the EA brimmed over with new energy and ideas to serve employees, Seymour said. Several EA members participated in Gannett Health Services' "Notice and Respond" program on helping Cornellians in distress. The EA now e-mails all employees quarterly with updates. In an effort to continue to recognize outstanding employees, the EA honored staff members at Gannett Health Services for their work during the H1N1 outbreak and at the Department of Athletics for their support of student-athletes.

It was another tough year for employees and continues to be stressful as Cornell goes through the many challenges to balance the budget, Seymour said. "I strongly encourage the senior administration and the board of trustees to continue communication efforts to keep the employees informed and updated as Cornell goes through these tough times and to engage with the employees for their input and feedback," Seymour said.

In Dean of the University Faculty Bill Fry's annual report to trustees, he said that Cornell's 1,600 faculty members published more than 7,000 scholarly articles this past academic year. In addition to research and teaching, faculty members committed many hours to faculty and university governance and the Reimagining Cornell initiatives.

Perhaps one of the most pressing issues facing faculty nationwide is academic integrity, he said. "At Cornell there are cases where in some classes more than half the class was caught cheating on a test, more than half the class was caught plagiarizing on a homework assignment. But that's not unique to us. It's an issue that is throughout the United States," he said. The faculty committee on academic policy is looking at possible actions, he said.