Cornell optimistic about Pataki's state budget proposal
After years of effort, Cornell and the State Universities of New York (SUNY) and Gov. George Pataki have worked out an arrangement where money appropriated by Cornell from the state for land-grant responsibilities will be separate from the rest of the funding given by the SUNY system to Cornell for higher education. (January 31, 2006)

First annual 21 Dinner in NYC honors Boiardi, Schaap
Nearly 200 Cornellians and their friends gathered Jan. 27 to celebrate the legacies of two former Cornell University students, the late George Boiardi '04 and late sports journalist Dick Schaap '55, at the first annual 21 Dinner at the Cornell Club in New York City. Both men wore number 21 -- some five decades apart -- on the Cornell men's lacrosse team. (January 31, 2006)

Neal Freeman '97 returns to campus to direct play about Van Gogh
Neal Freeman '97 directs the award-winning play about Vincent Van Gogh, 'Vincent in Brixton,' at Cornell's Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts, Feb. 1-5, 8-11. (January 31, 2006)

Panel at MLA convention focused on Archie Ammons' work
A.R. "Archie" Ammons, the late Goldwin Smith Professor of Poetry at Cornell, who died in 2001 at the age 75 but would have turned 80 this Feb. 18, was the focus of a panel at the Modern Language Association convention Dec. 28 in Washington, D.C. (January 31, 2006)

Isabel Hull wins Emerson book award
Isabel Hull, the John Stambaugh Professor of History at Cornell, has won the 2005 Ralph Waldo Emerson Book Award for 'Absolute Destruction: Military Culture and the Practices of War in Imperial Germany.' (January 31, 2006)

Cornell United Way campaign exceeds its goal
The 2005 Cornell United Way Campaign surpassed its goal of $627,000 but the call for continued pledges continues. Cornell community members who have not yet participated are asked to consider pledging to the Urgent Rx Challenge Grant. (January 31, 2006)

Michael Riley named an associate dean at CALS
Michael P. Riley Jr. has been promoted to associate dean of alumni affairs, development and communications by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Cornell. (January 31, 2006)

IMAX film 'Roving Mars' premieres in Washington
The premiere of Disney's IMAX film 'Roving Mars' Jan. 26 in Washington, D.C., was an evening of celebrating two teams: the team of approximately 4,000 scientists, engineers and support staff who made NASA's Mars Exploration Rover a success -- and the smaller team which coalesced on the side to document the mission on IMAX film. (January 27, 2006)

Cornell presidential transition office opens
A presidential transition office has been created to facilitate David J. Skorton's assumption of the Cornell presidency on July 1. The office will handle all transition details for Cornell's Ithaca campus and for the Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. (January 26, 2006)

Mars and Squyres' rovers star in IMAX spectacular
Roving Mars, an IMAX film documenting NASA's Mars Exploration Rover mission, opens in theaters Jan. 27. 'It will be that immersion experience -- of being completely surrounded and overwhelmed with Mars,' says Cornell's Jim Bell. (January 26, 2006)

Tibetan Buddhist scholar Jan Willis began spiritual journey at Cornell
Jan Willis '69, M.A. '71, the daughter of a Baptist deacon from Alabama and former campus activist, now is a chaired professor of social sciences at Wesleyan University and a prominent scholar-practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. (January 26, 2006)

Alumni gifts, recent acquisitions enrich Cornell Library's collections
Last year Cornell University Library added more than 108,000 books and other printed volumes and 1,265 cubic feet of manuscripts to its holdings. Three examples provide a glimpse of the wide range of treasures to be found in Cornell's rare and manuscript collections: the Lindseth Russian Fable Collection, the Lavoisier Collection and the George Bernard Shaw Collection. (January 26, 2006)

CU Winds completes successful concert tour of Costa Rica
Members of the Cornell Wind Ensemble returned Jan. 21 from their nine-day tour of Costa Rica, where they performed for public and private audiences. The tour was a successful educational and service experience as well. (January 25, 2006)

AAP's NYC space is 'close to where things are happening'
The new New York City facilities of the College of Architecture, Art and Planning at 50 W. 17th St. sparkled at a preview reception for about 150 trustees, alumni, faculty and friends, Jan. 19. (January 25, 2006)

Gates Hall will be new home for computer science
The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation has awarded $25 million to Cornell to support the construction of a new campus building, William H. Gates Hall. The building will be the centerpiece of a planned information campus that will bring together the several units of the Faculty of Computing and Information Science. (January 25, 2006)

Skorton discovers rituals of the Lynah Faithful
David Skorton, Cornell's newly named president, is a man from Iowa who admits he hasn't a clue about ice hockey, and certainly no understanding of the rituals of the Lynah Faithful. On Saturday (Jan. 21) he found out. (January 25, 2006)

Bylaw amendment allowed trustees in NYC to vote for Skorton
The Cornell University Board of Trustees' Jan. 21 vote endorsing David Skorton as the 12th president of the university was unanimous, and thanks to an amended bylaw, 19 members of the board were able to vote, even though they weren't in Ithaca to cast their ballots. (January 25, 2006)

Grant allows continued studies on smoking cessation, drug ads
A renewed grant from the Merck Company Foundation is enabling Cornell researchers affiliated with the Consumers, Pharmaceutical Policy and Health (CPPH) program in the Department of Policy Analysis and Management (PAM) in the College of Human Ecology to go forward with a number of research projects to help consumers in the realm of pharmaceuticals and health. (January 25, 2006)

Trustees approve 4.8 percent endowed tuition increase
The Cornell Board of Trustees approved a set of planning parameters for the 2006-07 budget that calls for a 4.8 percent tuition increase for most students in the endowed colleges, setting tuition at $32,800 for the 2006-07 academic year. (January 23, 2006)

Don Fehrs, Cornell's chief investment officer, resigns
Cornell University Executive Vice President for Finance and Administration Stephen Golding has accepted the resignation of Don Fehrs as the chief investment officer of Cornell's Investment Office. Fehrs has not yet determined his next career move. (January 23, 2006)

CU's land-grant mission helps communities manage urban forests
In fulfilling Cornell's land-grant mission to serve the state of New York, Cornell professor of horticulture Nina Bassuk and the Onondaga County Cornell Cooperative Extension have applied Bassuk's research on growing plants and trees in urban areas by helping communities throughout the state better manage their urban forests. (January 23, 2006)

Red Hat's Matthew Szulik to speak on open source technology
Matthew Szulik, chairman, chief executive officer and president of Red Hat, will speak on open source technology Feb. 6 on campus. (January 23, 2006)

Lynx program links faculty with technology
It's time to let the cat out of the bag. The Lynx, of course. Lynx links faculty with new instructional technologies. How? by having certified students assist faculty at no charge. An open house for the program will be held Jan. 27 and 30 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in 124 CCC Building. (January 23, 2006)

Nominations sought for Weiss Presidential Fellows Award
Faculty, academic staff, and junior and senior students are invited to nominate tenured faculty members for the Stephen H. Weiss Presidential Fellows Award. The universitywide award recognizes those faculty members who have a sustained record of effective, inspiring and distinguished teaching of undergraduate students at Cornell. (January 23, 2006)

Decker to lead new Office of Land-Grant Affairs in CALS
Daniel J. Decker, Cornell professor in the Department of Natural Resources, has been named director of the new Office of Land-Grant Affairs in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. (January 23, 2006)

An 'auspicious' day for Cornell is a 'very sad day' for Iowa
What Peter Meinig called 'truly an auspicious day for Cornell,' interim President Hunter R. Rawlings called 'a very sad day in Iowa City, Iowa.' The day was Saturday, and the man Rawlings was referring to was Cornell's newly named 12th president, David Skorton. (January 21, 2006)

At press conference, Skorton speaks of 'emotional homecoming'
'I'm so proud and very, very humbled to have the chance to be a part of the leadership of this great jewel of international higher education,' said David J. Skorton, Cornell's newly named 12th president, in opening remarks at a press conference today, Jan. 21, in the Beck Center at Cornell. (January 21, 2006)

'Part of my heart is already here,' new president tells Cornell's leaders
David Skorton was introduced as Cornell's 12th president at a noon news conference at the Statler Hotel's Beck Center, Jan. 21. As he began his day several hours earlier, at an 8 a.m. meeting with university deans and vice provosts, he said he's already looking forward to calling Ithaca home. Skorton went on to meet with students and employees, and he attended the hockey game that evening. (January 23, 2006)

U of Iowa's David J. Skorton named Cornell's 12th president
The six-month search for Cornell University's 12th president has ended with the announcement that David J. Skorton, president of the University of Iowa, will be assuming leadership of New York state's land-grant university and world-renowned research institution. The 56-year-old cardiologist, computer scientist, jazz musician and national leader in research ethics will take up Cornell's highest office in the coming months. (January 21, 2006)

Jazz and haiku: Skorton sees arts and humanities as university's 'soul'
His love of jazz adds a soulful dimension to David J. Skorton, Cornell's newly named president, who has achieved national recognition as a supporter of the humanities and arts. (January 21, 2006)

The physician as computer scientist: Skorton and medical imaging
One part of David Skorton's career echoes a recent major theme in Cornell scholarship: the application of computer technology and computer science ideas in other disciplines. (January 21, 2006)

Cornell's new first lady: Respected researcher in her own right
As an associate professor of anatomy and cell biology, and radiation oncology, at the University of Iowa's College of Medicine, Robin Davisson, Cornell's next first lady, focuses her research on the basic mechanisms of function, control and signaling in the cardiovascular system. (January 21, 2006)

From Big Ten to Ivy League: two institutions with much in common
Both Hunter Rawlings and David Skorton hail from the University of Iowa -- known as the Hawkeyes in the athletic arena. And yet the transition from the Big Ten to the Ivy League is one between two institutions that on many accounts are surprisingly similar. (January 21, 2006)

Search committee sought advice from campus and around the world
The formation of a search committee for Cornell University's 12th president began less than a month after President Jeffrey S. Lehman's sudden resignation on June 11, 2005. (January 21, 2006)

Firm of architect Rem Koolhaas chosen to design Milstein Hall
Cornell's College of Architecture, Art and Planning will be getting a new building that will be a contemporary architectural gem -- designed by the firm of Pritzker Prize-winning architect Rem Koolhaas. (January 20, 2006)

Cornell trustees to meet in New York City, Jan. 19-21
The Cornell University Board of Trustees will hold its first meetings of 2006 at the Cornell Club of New York and at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York City, Jan. 19-21. (January 18, 2006)

Heating plant upgrade will cut CO2 emissions by 20 percent
In a move that the Environmental Protection Agency hails as 'exceptional leadership in energy use and management,' Cornell has announced a planned upgrade of its combined heat and power system to adapt to growing demand while reducing the university's impact on the environment. (January 18, 2006)

Outreach Program offers biology course to high school students
Last summer, Weill Cornell graduate students offered a six-week, hands-on course to students from the Manhattan Day and Night High School who plan to pursue careers in science. The course is one more example of Weill Cornell's long-standing commitment to New York City high schools. (January 18, 2006)

Weill Cornell researchers score a Nature quadruple play
Publication in the journal Nature is a coup for any research team, but Weill Cornell Medical College investigators have earned recognition in the journal four times in recent months with landmark findings in fields as diverse as HIV microbicides, ion channel function, neuronal growth and cancer metastasis. (January 18, 2006)

Get a flu shot, Cornell physicians stress
Gannett Health Services at Cornell recommends that students, faculty and staff get flu shots as soon as possible if they have not yet done so. (January 18, 2006)

CU is chosen for 2007 Solar Decathlon; student help needed
Cornell University has been chosen as one of 20 universities to compete in the U.S. Department of Energy's 2007 Solar Decathlon, an international competition to design and build a solar-powered house. Students may enroll now in courses to work on the team. (January 18, 2006)

Gift of instruments is music to Costa Ricans
The Cornell University Wind Ensemble has a humanitarian and cultural mission in Costa Rica beyond playing music -- the delivery of 50 donated, refurbished musical instruments to the young students of the Escuela Musica de Matapalo. (January 17, 2006)

'Excelente' -- CU Winds score a hit for friendship in Costa Rica
The Cornell Wind Ensemble was met with smiling faces and applause from a grateful community on its first two stops on a concert tour of Costa Rica. (January 16, 2006)

$1.86 million grant will fund research and training positions in peace studies
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation has awarded a $1.86 million grant to Cornell's Peace Studies Program to provide additional research and training in science and security studies. (January 16, 2006)

Student-run economics journal sees a growth trend
While the fall edition of The Visible Hand -- the undergraduate journal of the Cornell Economics Society -- carries stories about trends in baseball salaries, rising home prices, globalization and the economic impact of catastrophic events, the society itself is noting significant growth in its own numbers and those of the publication. (January 16, 2006)

Hotel School creates cooperative degree program with CIA
Cornell's School of Hotel Administration and The Culinary Institute of America -- the top school of culinary arts -- have now teamed to offer a cooperative degree program that gives students the best of both worlds. (January 16, 2006)

Winter break's energy savings: The final numbers
By unplugging equipment, turning off lights and shutting down computers before leaving for winter break in December, the campus community saved 3,200 kilowatts over the 10-day break. That lowered campus energy bills by about $76,800. (January 16, 2006)

Geneticists use statistics to accurately map complex traits
Cornell researchers have improved a technique called association mapping that identifies the genetic origins of complex traits, from disease to crop yields to milk yields, controlled by multiple genes. (January 16, 2006)

NYC transport workers experience high on-the-job stress
ILR Professor Samuel Bacharach's workplace stress survey found New York City transport workers were often exposed daily to workplace hazards and experienced traumatic incidents regularly. (January 16, 2006)

Sam Bacharach authors one of top business books in 2005
"Get Them on Your Side: Win Support, Convert Skeptics, Get Results" has been named one of the 15 best business books of 2005 by Fast Company magazine. (January 16, 2006)

CU law theorist overturns views on what is a legal system
'Form and Function in a Legal System: A General Study,' a new book by Cornell Law School Professor Robert Summers, overturns views of leading legal theorists. Published in January 2006 by Cambridge University Press, the book was 10 years in the making and is expected to become a classic. (January 16, 2006)

Alan Pike dies at 65; taught management communication at JGSM
Alan Pike, 65, a senior lecturer in communication who taught at Cornell's Johnson Graduate School of Management for more than 25 years, died Jan. 7 in his Ithaca home. (January 16, 2006)

Strodel named director of corporate relations at Hotel School
Joseph D. Strodel Jr. has been named director of corporate relations at Cornell's School of Hotel Administration, a newly created position. Strodel had been managing director of the Center for Hospitality Research at the Hotel School since 2001. (January 16, 2006)

Cornell United Way campaign surpasses its goal
The 2005 Cornell United Way Campaign surpassed its goal of $627,000 during the winter break, but the call for pledges continues -- and for good reason. One of the major challenges facing many county residents in need is a lack of affordable health care. (January 16, 2006)

Museum lands $500,000 NEH challenge grant for new wing, renovations
Cornell University's Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art received a National Endowment for the Humanities challenge grant of $500,000 to support construction of a new study center and renovation work. (January 13, 2006)

Japanese poetry prints on display at Johnson Museum
Cornell's Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art will exhibit 'Japanese Poetry Prints: Surimono From the Schoff Collection' from Jan. 14 to March 19. It is the first exhibition outside of Japan for the 19th-century woodblock prints, all from the collection of Joanna Haab Schoff '55. (January 10, 2006)

D.C. summit on international education 'a positive step,' Rawlings says
As the Bush administration seeks new ideas for strengthening international education in U.S. schools, Cornell is among the leaders in the effort with rich foreign language offerings and new programs, such as the China and Asia-Pacific Studies curriculum. (January 09, 2006)

Dogs keep dying: Many owners remain unaware of toxic dog food
Dogs are still being fed food tainted with highly toxic aflatoxins. Cornell University veterinarians are serving as a central clearinghouse to collect data, screen dogs and offer a new test to confirm diagnosis of aflatoxin poisoning. (January 06, 2006)

Vet College develops protein tests to diagnose pet food-poisoned dogs
While dogs keep dying from eating pet food tainted with aflatoxin, Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine has developed protein tests that accurately indicate a dog's liver failure caused by the toxin. (January 06, 2006)

New procedure offers hope to patients at risk for recurrent stroke
Surgeons at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center are the first in the New York City metropolitan area to successfully implant into the brain arteries a new stent specifically designed to treat high-risk stroke patients who have not previously responded to medical therapy. (January 06, 2006)

Rawlings attends U.S. summit on international education
Cornell President Hunter R. Rawlings is one of a select group of 121 university presidents attending the U.S. University Presidents Summit on International Education, which is focused on strengthening international education at U.S. universities, creating more opportunities for U.S. students to study abroad, and attracting foreign students and faculty to the United States. (January 05, 2006)

Record numbers of Mexicans settling in upstate N.Y. remain marginal
A study by Cornell sociologists Max Pfeffer and Pilar Parra finds that Mexican farmworkers are settling in upstate New York in record numbers, but most are marginalized and not mainstreaming into community life. A growing underclass could lead to unemployment, poverty and other social problems. (January 5, 2006)

New radiation therapy for prostate cancer has fewer side effects
A new radiation therapy for prostate cancer -- Cesium-131 brachytherapy -- has fewer side effects than other treatments. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center is the only hospital in the Northeast to offer the new therapy, which involves the implantation of radioactive seeds into the tumor site.

Welcoming Hannah: Two policies make CU more adoption friendly
Cornell's new family leave policy offers more flexibility for adoption and for caring for an ill relative. Assistant Dean of Students Joe Scaffido used leave time to travel to China to adopt his daughter, Hannah. (January 3, 2006)

Electrocardiogram helps predict risk for congestive heart failure
An electrocardiogram is an effective tool for detecting risk of congestive heart failure (CHF) in patients with hypertension, according to a new study by physician-scientists at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and published in the Jan. 3 issue of the journal Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.