Provost to student leaders: Make the most of Cornell

Kent Fuchs
Robert Barker/University Photography
Provost Kent Fuchs speaks to student leaders about the importance of leadership and cross-cultural engagement Aug. 30.
Kent Fuchs and Ross Gitlin
Robert Barker/University Photography
Fuchs speaks with student trustee Ross Gitlin ’15 during the student leadership roundtable discussion in the Founders Room of Anabel Taylor.

As provost of Cornell, Kent Fuchs protects the academic interests of the student body. In an effort to translate academic solidarity to student unity, Fuchs delivered an Aug. 30 talk about the importance of leadership and cross-cultural engagement.

Twenty selected student leaders attended Fuchs’ talk in Anabel Taylor Hall as part of the third annual Leadership Roundtable.

Fuchs began by lauding Cornell’s academic diversity: “Cornell, if you compare the university to 20 other top universities, has more areas in which you can study than those other 20.” Though it is a distinction Cornell is proud to embrace, it comes with drawbacks. “That can cause fragmentation. It could cause our reputation to not be as strong as it could be,” said Fuchs.

Fuchs likened this notion to the 1995 inauguration speech of Cornell President Hunter Rawlings (now emeritus), who used the building of gorge bridges as a metaphor for building bridges among academic departments, colleges and subjects.

“I want to encourage you all to make Cornell stronger than the sum of its parts,” said Fuchs. “I want it to be one Cornell, where every part is richly interwoven. Each of us has a role in accomplishing that.”

Though speaking primarily in terms of academics, Fuchs challenged students to use the same mindset in their leadership positions with on-campus organizations: “Even though we’re trying to optimize our own organizations, we need to think about how we can make Cornell stronger as a whole.”

The notion of campuswide solidarity has its challenges, Fuch noted: “That mindset is very tricky, especially when we are all so competitive.”

Fuchs concluded his talk by providing insight on the means by which students can think about Cornell’s decision-making process. He stressed maximizing resources and reducing expenses. “The university is thinking about how it can reduce expenditures in areas that are not critical,” he said. “Though usually our way to make something better is to spend more, we have to spend less and make it better.

“Because resources are so constrained, it causes … tension. You will all be exposed to that because your student groups will be advocating your causes,” said Fuchs.

Fuchs also spoke about universitywide restrictions in the context of higher education as a whole. “We are in an interesting era in Cornell’s history and in all the other top universities, where the business model for higher education is uncertain in the future.”

Before the talk, students introduced themselves and their organizations, which ranged from the Cornell Progressive to Student Assembly.

The event was sponsored by 626: The Center for Intercultural Dialogue.

Scott Goldberg ’16 is a writer intern for the Cornell Chronicle.

Media Contact

John Carberry