Recent universitywide accomplishments, employee concerns, faculty efforts to diminish student stress and progress toward diversity were the highlights of annual reports to the Cornell Board of Trustees May 27 in Sage Hall.

President David Skorton began the board's open session by detailing the most recent successes of the past academic year. He congratulated trustee Ron McCray '79, who was recently appointed by "the other president," Barack Obama, to serve on the board that administers the Thrift Savings Plan, a tax-deferred retirement savings plan for federal employees, similar to a 401(k).

Skorton also noted two community service honors: Cornell Student United Way recently received the inaugural United Way Worldwide Student United Way Campus Organization of the Year award; and the Corporation for National and Community Service named Cornell to the 2010 President's Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll. Skorton also mentioned recently named Udall scholarship winners, and athletics highlights including the women's polo team's 13th national title.

He closed by pointing to his student-designed lapel pin, saying that he and other members of the administration and students would be wearing them during graduation weekend to commemorate Brian Lo '11, who died in an accidental off-campus fire May 6.

Tanya Grove, chair of the Employee Assembly (EA), in presenting an annual report, said the EA's accomplishments this year included a decision to expand the assembly to 19 voting members from 13, aimed at better representing the diverse viewpoints of Cornell staff.

She noted that many employees are feeling the stress associated with real or perceived threats of job loss and an increase in responsibilities. The EA, she said, has shared these concerns with Skorton, Vice President for Human Resources and Safety Services Mary Opperman and members of the board of trustees. The EA has approved an employee survey in the fall to generate qualitative and quantitative data to inform the university's decision-making about staff-related issues. "This isn't just a challenge for university leadership but for each person in a management role, to improve the quality of work-life so that all staff can take pride in the work they do for an institution that they care about," Grove said.

Dean of the University Faculty Bill Fry said in his annual report to trustees that the Faculty Senate has been exploring several issues in an effort to reduce student stress. They include a mechanism that would require face-to-face advising between faculty and students, and pedagogical "best practices." Possibilities for changes to the academic calendar include making Martin Luther King Jr. Day or President's Day a holiday and changing the date of Commencement, Fry said.

Cornell's progress toward diversity and inclusion was summarized by Lynette Chappell-Williams, Cornell's associate vice president for workforce diversity and inclusion. Currently 27 percent of faculty and staff are women; nearly 10 percent of faculty and staff are racial or ethnic minorities. Of the 65 new faculty members who have accepted positions for the 2011-12 academic year, 48 percent are women and 19 percent are racial or ethnic minorities, she said.

Goals for the coming year, she said, include filling the position of staff diversity recruiter, which has been vacant since 2008; and the establishment of the President's Family Life Advisory Council.

Also during the open session, the trustees voted to publicly honor Peter A. Wright '75, MBA '76, for his generosity to the university. In a closed session, seven new trustees were also named to the board.