President Lehman discusses the 'Call' and the generous response

Cornell President Jeffrey S. Lehman, right, speaks with Everilis Santana-Vega, a graduate student in mathematics, following a talk he gave in Warren Hall earlier this year. Frank DiMeo/University Photography

Almost a year ago, during his inauguration ceremonies, Cornell President Jeffrey Lehman issued a Call to Engagement. During the past year, the Cornell community -- on campus and beyond -- has responded to his call "generously," he has said, and with a great volume of comments and correspondences.

Now the president is inviting Cornellians to read the report he prepared on the process. It can be found on the Web at http://www.cornell.edu/president/engagement.cfm.

He further commented on the Call to Engagement during a question-and-answer session with the Cornell Chronicle.

Would you describe the Call to Engagement process as a success?

To my mind, it was a success on many different levels. I benefited from the opportunity to hear the reflections of thousands of members of our community on a set of issues that are central to our future. And many, many people have told me that they enjoyed being asked to participate in this process and learned from the experience of discussing these questions with friends and colleagues.

What surprised you most about the responses you received?

Two things. First, the sheer volume of responses was much greater than I had anticipated. And, second, I was surprised by the disproportionate degree of attention that the respondents paid to the very first set of questions (What should we be teaching our students?).

Were there common themes?

Many people wrote about the importance of helping this generation of students to be prepared to face the unique challenges of our time. Many wrote about the importance of taking full advantage of Cornell's distinctive breadth, depth and unique traditions in order to meet the needs of the larger society.

What is the state of mind of the Cornell community?

There isn't a single state of mind -- that's part of what makes this a strong academic community. But if I were to try to assess the dominant moods, I would describe them as optimistic, confident, imbued with a sense that Cornell has something distinctive and important to contribute to the world.

How about those Cornellians who didn't take part in the process? Has their opportunity for engagement ended?

Oh, no. Certainly not. This is an intensely participatory community. Indeed, it seems to have more different ways for community members to become involved than any other university I know of.

How will the Call to Engagement help inform your thinking in the future?

I learned from every aspect of the process -- from framing the questions, from talking with people about the answers, from reading the responses as a group, and from trying to synthesize what I read. My own thinking about these issues clearly evolved as I went along, just as I hoped it would.

Now that this phase of the process is completed, what will you be proposing?

On Oct. 29, I'll be presenting my State of the University Address to the Board of Trustees and members of the University Council. I don't want to steal my own thunder, so let's just say I consider it the perfect opportunity for me to share my own thoughts about what we need to do in order to realize our collective potential over the course of the next decade.