University Statements

Dear Cornellians,

Over the past few weeks, many community members have expressed concerns about the rapidly changing environment of federal guidelines and regulations, including as they impact federal research programs, cuts to NIH funding, and, most recently, new guidance around diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts in federally-funded schools and institutions.

Cornell leadership is working to evaluate this new landscape and its impact on our community, and we have established a university response planning team, led by the provost, to coordinate this work. This is a dynamic and evolving situation, and our response planning team will be prepared to address new developments as they arise. Today, I want to share the principles that are guiding our response.

First, we reaffirm Cornell’s founding principle of opportunity and access: of being “an institution where any person can find instruction in any study.” In a time when most paths to higher education were closed to women, to non-Christians, and to people of color, Cornell’s founders were determined that Cornell would open its doors to all. This commitment to access, nondiscrimination, and free inquiry is core to who we are, and sets a standard that has helped make Cornell the model of the modern American research university: a powerhouse of innovation and economic impact that has enormously strengthened our democracy.

Second, Cornell prizes diversity as a driver of our excellence. A community rich in expertise and perspective, experience and background, is a more fertile environment for new ideas and insights, and it is essential to our mission. Our commitment to attract, welcome, and support outstanding students, faculty, and staff from every background is part of our founding ethos and core values, and that commitment will not change. Diversity comes in many dimensions, including viewpoint, life experience, and geographic diversity, along with diversity in socio-economic, first-generation college student, and veteran status. We interpret diversity in the broad terms of our “any person” history: we are stronger when all voices are included.

Third, Cornell is committed to merit-based decisions in all of its processes. Just as we do not exclude anyone at Cornell for reasons irrelevant to merit, neither do we admit or evaluate students, hire or promote employees, award chairs or tenure, or make any other merit-driven decisions at Cornell based on race, ethnicity, or other attributes not relevant to merit.

Finally: Cornell follows the law. To our understanding, none of the recent federal guidance limits the academic freedom of our community to research or study any subject, our ability to exercise free expression within a safe and respectful community, or our ability to adhere to the principles outlined above. We must be vigilant, particularly, to ensure that when Cornell departments, organizations, or interest groups offer programming designed to support particular groups within our community, those opportunities are equally open to all, without bias for or against any groups. We remain committed to ensuring equal opportunity for all of our students, faculty, and staff, without regard to race, gender, or any other characteristic protected by law. We will continue to convey this commitment to nondiscrimination in communications and our activities.

We will continue, as well, to work to ensure that our principles are consistently maintained, and to advance our mission in ways that comply with existing federal and state law.

Updated information on new executive orders, federal agency directives, and policy announcements affecting our mission of research, teaching, public engagement, and patient care, and our diverse academic community, will continue to be made available on our central website.

Sincerely,

Michael I. Kotlikoff
Interim President